Congress is considering polar opposite proposals for the future of compulsory military service—one that would expand the duty to women, and another that would suspend registration requirements altogether—in what could be the most significant decision on the issue in decades.
On Sept. 1, the House Armed Service Committee (HASC) is set to mark up its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a provision that would effectively put the Selective Service System in limbo. Rep. Jackie Speier’s (D-Calif.) Selective Service Standby Amendment would suspend draft registration requirements and eliminate sanctions for past or future non-registrations.
