Lawmakers Introduce Bill Requiring Women to Register for Draft By Felicia Schwartz Feb. 4, 2016 6:05 p.m. ET WASHINGTON—Two Republican lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday that would require women to register for the draft in a step meant to advance a national debate about the Pentagon’s decision in December to open all military combat positions to women.
Women have been excluded from the Selective Service System, a decision that was upheld by a 1981 Supreme Court ruling that said as long as women weren’t allowed in combat units, they shouldn’t be subjected to it.
However, Defense Secretary Ash Carter in December said the Pentagon would open all combat positions to women, without exceptions. Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Ryan Zinke of Montana said in introducing their bill that Mr. Carter’s decision mandates a national debate about the role of women in the military.
“This is a change to over 200 years of warfare in the United States,” Mr. Hunter said in an interview. He added that allowing women to be included in all combat positions requires lawmakers ask themselves: “Do I think we have come far enough that my daughter should be drafted?”
The bill is called the “Draft America’s Daughters Act,” a title that’s meant to be provocative, aides said. Mr. Hunter said he might vote against the bill, but he thought it was important to offer the legislation to force a conversation on the role of women in the U.S. armed forces.
Mr. Hunter said he supports the inclusion of women in all combat positions, as long as standards aren’t altered or lowered, an issue about which he and some military leaders have voiced concern in recent weeks.
He said he doesn’t like the idea of women’s inclusion in the draft, but would back it if all combat specialties are opened to women. Currently, U.S. military services are submitting plans for incorporating women into all of their ranks, a process that could take months or years.
Advocates of allowing women in combat, including many senators and military leaders, also support a debate over women’s participation in the Selective Service.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) said she thought including women in the draft might encourage more to join the military.
“Part of me believes that asking women to register, as we ask men to register, would possibly open up more recruits as women began to think … ‘The military is an option for me,’ ” Ms. McCaskill said at a Senate hearing on women in combat this week.
The Marine Corps earlier had recommended against integrating women into all combat positions. But Gen. Robert Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps, told lawmakers this week that the Marines would move forward with the directive and said he believed women should register.
Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, said he fully supports opening all combat positions in the Army to women and said he backs women’s inclusion in the Selective Service System.
Mr. Hunter said he will try to bring his bill to the floor so all members of Congress will have to vote on the issue.
“This should involve every member of Congress. This isn’t a military thing, it’s a family thing, it’s a cultural thing,” Mr. Hunter said.
If Congress decides against allowing women into the draft, he said that would show the American public doesn’t support opening all combat positions to women.
Requiring women to register wouldn’t have much practical effect, as a draft hasn’t been used since the Vietnam War. But advocates said it would be a step toward making women more equal in the military.
The issue of registration for women could become a campaign issue, depending how far the bill progresses.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Wednesday at a town-hall meeting that she wasn’t sure all women should register for the draft and was worried the shift could change the definition of an all-volunteer force.
“I have a hard time imagining the kind of national emergency that would require the use of the Selective Service System,” Mrs. Clinton said.
PENTAGON— Two top generals say women should be required to register for the military draft as the armed forces work to fully integrate women into combat roles. Current U.S. laws require only men to sign up for the Selective Service conscription.
“All eligible and qualified men and women should register for the draft,” Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on women in combat Tuesday.
The commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General Robert Nellar, agreed, saying, “Every American who is physically qualified should register for the draft.”
The U.S. military is currently an all-volunteer force. Only men aged 18-25 are required to be registered in case the draft is reactivated. The last U.S. draft ended more than 40 years ago.
Committee member Senator Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, said asking women to register could potentially open up the military to more recruits. She said the move could encourage young women to think, “Well, the military is an option for me.”
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy, the hearing’s two other witnesses, would say only that there should be a discussion on requiring women to register for the military’s Selective Service.
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced in December that women could serve in all military combat roles. The announcement was met with fears of lower military standards and expectations that women would soon be required register for the draft.
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