The United States undoubtedly has one of the largest and most formidable armed forces of all time. This is due in no small part to the men and who make their careers out of military service. However in time of war and the military volunteer may not be enough, the United States has felt the need to institute the draft. Commonly referred as Selective Service, the draft was first implemented in the American Civil War and was re-implemented for the following century in both world wars as well as Vietnam. Since Vietnam the draft has yet to be utilized by the military and will likely not be implemented any time soon. Now while the US Military is made of of both men and women, only men were required to register for the draft. That is, until now.
On Tuesday the US Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act which approved many changes to the military, most notably requiring women to register for the draft for the first time in American History. The act passed with an overwhelming majority vote of 85-13. Among those senators who were in favor was former presidential candidate Senator John McCain of Arizona. McCain said the act just made sense and said it was "simply fair". Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is also an avid supporter of the act.
This change in policy for selective service comes in conjunction with the decision to allow women to serve in front line combat positions. A change that, much like this one, was met with extreme controversy. Many people argue that the draft is unnecessary in times of peace and has been obsolete during this 40+ year period in which it hasn't been used. These people also argue that the bill is unfair, the product of a system that itself is also unfair. They argue that no one should have to serve if they don't want to. Many of those who oppose the bill are men and women currently serving in the military who claim that the armed forces have changed so much over the past few decades that the need for the selective service is unnecessary and who harm the military more than help in times of war. Senator Ted Cruz is very vocal in his opposition to the bill and said, "I cannot in good conscience vote to draft our daughters into the military..."
Many call the bill the next step on the road to equality for women while others call for the eradication of the draft all together. Those who support it are thankful for another aspect of military service where women will be treated the same as men. While opponents say while the bill does support equality, it also breathes life into a old and barely used system. However old and barely used the system may be, as it stands now failure to register for the draft is a felony which is rarely met with prosecution but rather is met with denial of government financial aid as well as denial of any government jobs. These rules and their consequences will begin to apply to any women who turns 18 anytime after January 1st, 2018.
