Last month the Armed Services Committee of the United States House of Representatives voted to require women to register with the Selective Service System, as men are currently required, to facilitate women being drafted into the US military. The women draft provision was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the committee. Thursday, the US Senate Armed Services Committee joined in the call for making women subject to a potential draft when the Senate committee included such a Selective Service registration requirement in its version of the NDAA.
Given that the imposing of mandatory Selective Service registration on women is included in both versions of the NDAA and that the NDAA is considered “must-pass” legislation by congressional leadership, it looks like there is a clear and quick path toward including women in any future conscription. What can stop that from happening? Members of the House and Senate could vote on their legislative bodies’ floors to strip the respective women draft provisions from the NDAA. They could also refuse to approve legislation that includes such provisions.
