The Senate Committee on Armed Services (SCAS) attempted to include language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2022 that would require women to register for the Selective Service System. This attempt was futile, and did not end up in the final draft of the legislation.

However, as reported by Politico, the SCAS recently voted in favor of adding a provision to the NDAA that would require women to register for the draft.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has completed markup of the #FY23NDAA.
Read the summary and press release from Chairman @SenJackReed and Ranking Member @JimInhofe: https://t.co/pKI94Kwngn pic.twitter.com/F8X5ARGjME
— Senate Armed Services Committee (@SASCDems) June 16, 2022

Twelve Senators wrote a letter to Senator Jack Reed, the Chairman of the SCAS, urging the committee to not include this provision, arguing against sending women to war “against their will.” An excerpt from the letter reads:

“. . . we urge you in the strongest possible terms not to use this year’s NDAA to try to force America’s women to register for the military draft. Reviving these efforts would be a grave mistake and would needlessly inject divisive social policies into important debates over our national security.”

The United States has only been using the modern draft we know of today since 1917, near the end of World War I, which required males ages 21-31 to register. From the years 1976-1980 the draft was placed on “Deep Standby”, a temporary suspension on mandatory registration. In July of 1980, required registration resumed once again and is still active today.

As it stands currently, the United States requires all males to register for the Selective Service 30 days after turning 18. Failure to register could result in possible fines, imprisonment, rejection of federal employment and/or denial of acquiring student loans. Adult males are eligible for conscription until the age of 26, at which time they are no longer within the age range to be selected. Though registration remains active, the draft has not been used since 1973, nearing the end of the Vietnam War.

In 2021, the US Army temporarily implemented a gender neutral Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT. According to Military.com, 44% of female soldiers failed the test as of April, 2021, seven months after the ACFT was enacted. During this time, males were passing this physical fitness test with ease. The Army has since resumed gender-specific fitness tests.

The test results indicated that females are, generally, less biologically equipped for combat roles than their male counterparts. This would logically lead to the inquiry: what positions would women, should they be conscripted, be required to hold? Should females have the option to opt-out of or select combat roles if drafted?

The NDAA for fiscal year 2023 is still being debated, and will likely undergo multiple changes before being implemented entirely.