Draft women, too
The Selective Service System is more selective than ever: Ever since the Vietnam-scarred military ditched the draft and went all-volunteer in 1973, the only Americans who risk their lives in uniform are those who choose to. As millions of Americans pursue full-time, specialized careers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and (yes) Space Force, or commit a weekend a month in the Guard or Reserves, the presidents who send troops into battle have expertly trained forces to call upon; for understandable reasons, they and the Congress are loath to ship overseas citizens who didn’t ask to go to war.
But the draft looms as an ever-present theoretical possibility, which is why American men have since 1980 been required to register with the government. Women, who make up an ever-larger share of the military — more than 16% of enlisted personnel and 19% of officers (compared to just 2% and 8%, respectively, when the draft ended) — are by law exempt. Give Sen. Jack Reed credit for finally forcing a change to that sexist status quo by putting it in the must-pass Defense Authorization Act now before Congress.
Women are fighter pilots. They are Army Rangers. They operate unmanned aerial vehicles. In 2015, the Defense Department ordered that women be allowed in all combat positions. One hundred and seventy-three American women lost their lives in the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
Reed’s push has strong bipartisan support. It also has cheap bipartisan opposition, from dopey GOP Sen. Josh Hawley to the left-wing anti-war group Code Pink. Both cling to the antiquated notion that women belong on the homefront, even in the highly unlikely event that an extraordinary international conflict triggers reinstatement of the draft.
In 2021, a requirement for all Americans to do national service here at home is far likelier, and wiser, than bringing back the military draft; it’s one way Americans might actually find common purpose. But if and when the draft comes back, it should come back for all.