The U.S. military hasn’t activated the draft in more than 50 years, but Congress is considering proposals to update conscription, including by expanding it to women for the first time and automatically registering those eligible for the draft.
The proposals approved in the House and Senate have little chance of becoming law, and none would immediately reinstate the mandatory nature of the bill. But the debate over possible changes reflects how lawmakers are rethinking the bill at a time when readiness issues have come to the forefront and the Pentagon faces recruiting challenges amid a range of risks and conflicts around the world.
The House of Representatives passed an annual defense policy bill last week that, in addition to authorizing $895 billion in military spending, including a 19.5 percent pay raise for troops, also included a bipartisan proposal that would make draft registration automatic would provide. At the same time, a Senate committee last week approved a version of the Pentagon bill that would extend registration requirements to women. Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island and chairman of the panel, sponsored the draft parity proposal.
Current law requires most men between the ages of 18 and 25 to register with the Selective Service. This is the authority that maintains a database of information about people who may be subject to compulsory military service, commonly referred to as conscription. The program is designed to allow military officials to determine who would be eligible to serve as a draftee if Congress and the president activate the draft, which last happened in 1973 at the end of the Vietnam War.
Failure to register is considered a criminal offense and may result in various penalties.
At least 46 states and territories have laws that automatically enroll men in special service when they get a driver’s license or apply for college, which has helped the program achieve high compliance rates. In 2023, more than 15 million men registered nationwide, about 84 percent of those eligible.
Defense Department officials say the number of young Americans volunteering for military service has declined, continuing a declining trend since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Recent reports indicate that less than 1 percent of adults in the United States are serving in active combat, a significant decline from the last draft era in the 1960s, when a far larger share of Americans served in combat.
A panel of military experts suggested to Congress in 2020 that including women in the draft would be “in the national security interest of the United States.” Since then, Congress has repeatedly considered proposals for the change, but they were all rejected before they took effect.
Women have been allowed to serve in all roles in the military since 2016, including ground combat, and there is some bipartisan support for the idea that they, too, should be subject to conscription. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, noted that she supported a similar proposal during her time in the Alaska Statehouse, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said the change “seems logical.”
Even Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, has previously expressed support for an expanded role for women in the military, including imposing the same draft registration requirement that men face.
But the idea of including women in the bill has faced opposition from conservative Republicans for years, and at least one Republican Senate candidate is trying to use the issue to attack his Democratic opponent.
Shortly after the Senate panel approved the amendment, Sam Brown, a battle-disabled former Army captain who is challenging Senator Jacky Rosen, Democrat of Nevada, in one of the most competitive races in the country, condemned Ms. Rosen for her support of the proposal.
Mr Brown described the move as “absurd” and “unacceptable” in a video he posted on social media. “Our daughters will not be forced into the draft,” he said, singling out Ms. Rosen without mentioning any of the Republican senators who have a record of supporting such a change.
Other right-wing Republicans were quick to link the proposed inclusion of women in draft registration to what they said was a progressive trend run amok in the U.S. military. Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, called it another “woke” decision imposed on the nation’s armed forces.
“We need to get a grip on reality here,” Mr. Hawley said on Fox News. “There shouldn’t be women in the draft. They shouldn’t be forced to serve if they don’t want to.”
The proposal for automatic registration has generated less controversy. Proponents argue it would streamline and reduce expenses for an agency that spends millions of dollars each year reminding citizens and residents of a certain age that registration is required by law.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat and an Air Force veteran who spearheaded the proposal, said it would “cut existing government red tape and allow an important government agency to operate more efficiently and save money for more American taxpayers.”
Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska who also served in the Air Force, called the proposed change “excellent.”
Still, the measure is poorly understood, and action in Congress in recent days has been misinterpreted in some quarters as a reintroduction of the bill itself.
Cardi B, a famous rapper known for occasionally speaking out on political issues, expressed skepticism that the current generation of young American men is ready to be called into battle.
“These new kids? Do you want to send these new kids to fight these wars?” Cardi B said in a now-expired video on social media.
“All I want to say to America is: Good luck with that.”
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2024-06-20 00:26:26
www.nytimes.com