White House and Pentagon Now Support Registering Women For Military Draft

WASHINGTON — President Obama supports requiring women to register for Selective Service when they turn 18 — becoming the first president to endorse universal draft registration since Jimmy Carter. "As old barriers for military service are being removed, the administration supports — as a logical next step — women registering for the Selective Service," said Ned Price, a spokesman for Obama's National Security Council. The White House had previously expressed neutrality on the controversy, but took a position in a statement to USA TODAY on Thursday.

The White House made clear that Obama supports an all-volunteer force, and there are no plans to re-institute the draft. But Obama believes adding women to the draft would serve two purposes: showing a commitment to gender equality throughout the armed services, and fostering a sense of public service that comes from requiring draft registration as a ritual of adulthood.

www.usatoday.com...

But Selective Service can still have far-reaching consequences for young men and — under the policy change now supported by Obama — young women. Those who fail to register for the draft can be denied federal student aid and loans, security clearances, government employment and job training programs. For immigrants, failing to register can be a roadblock to citizenship. Three-quarters of states make Selective Service a requirement for driver's licenses and other government benefits. For Obama, adding women to the draft would also eliminate an inconsistency in the administration's policy on transgender status. The Education Department, for example, is pressuring schools to recognize a student's self-identified gender. But current Selective Service say the sex at birth determines whether someone is subject to the registration requirement.

While this is mostly a 'symbolic' statement by Obama weeks before he leaves office, it comes a day before the House will vote on a defense policy bill. Now a compromise version of the bill will call for a commission to study two issues. Whether women should be included in Selective Service and whether the Selective Service system itself should be abolished.

I'm not sure how i feel about this. I was in the military. I volunteered to fight for my country. I haven't every really agreed with the mandatory draft at all. It hasn't been used since 1973.

I don't think anyone should be forced to go to war against their will. However with the pride for our country at the lowest level i have ever seen, i can see that it may be necessary sometime in the future if needed to save our country.

I'm all for equality and everything, but if women as well as men are drafted what will become of our society? Hopefully they will never have to use the draft again, but I see less and less people volunteering to enter service in the years to come. I can see this a day where the draft will be enacted again.

Equal is equal.

2d.

No draft for anybody, male or female. Have the political class send their kids to die for corporate interests.

a reply to: EchoesInTime

Not just for the draft. It ought be mandatory serving for every male and female at age 18 to serve 2 years, then be on a reserve basis.

Similar to Israel.

a reply to: HUMBLEONE


Exactly they are the ones with the vested interest.

The draft is BS and takes away someone's freedom of choice. No one should ever be forced to fight in a war if they don't want to, all it does is waste young lives and their potential to do good.

a reply to: mysterioustranger

No it shouldn't be mandatory, that takes away what this country was supposedly built upon: freedom. If you are forced to serve in the military then you do not have true freedom. If freedom isn't free then it wasn't really freedom to begin with.

I am generally in favor of an all voluntary military....and all women may apply.

But I have to be honest. I see value not only in a draft, but mandatory service. Here is why...

If people knew they could be sent to war at anytime, they might actually make better political choices. Skin in the game, so to speak.

Nope. Don't support that at all. I still think there is a major difference between men and women which is why we compliment one another so well. Now if a woman wishes to enlist, more power to her but to force her to sign up for a draft is a terrible idea.

Another form of population control-- ensure that all women, like it or not, start families later (or not at all if killed in war).

Why would anyone have kids if they are only meant to grow up and be soldiers for the State?

Good debate material here, though, OP!

Edit to add this: I agreed with Obama's ideas about serving the community/civic duty. I just think there are many ways in which one can do this.

I've been active duty in the Marine Corps over 15 years many deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, my opinion:

1. The draft is a terrible idea. It's bad enough we have to work with so many worthless dirtbags, I don't need more dirtbags that didn't even volunteer to be here. No thank you.

2. But if there is going to be a draft, it's only fair to draft women too. It would actually benefit to put more able bodied men into direct combat elements and have women fill admin and logistics roles.

3. I don't get why people bash draft dodgers from Vietnam. Especially knowing what we know now about the Gulf of Tonkin. We had no business being in Vietnam like we had no business being in Iraq.

a reply to: watchitburn

Exactly where I stand. Either draft nobody or draft everybody.

Don't draft some people but then tout what great proponents of equality we are.

S/F debil donut.

Women don't belong in combat... they're the reason young men sign up and fight in the first place, so keep em stateside in support roles where they belong.

No to making them draft eligible

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: EchoesInTime

Not just for the draft. It ought be mandatory serving for every male and female at age 18 to serve 2 years, then be on a reserve basis.

Similar to Israel.

Wouldn't that be grand!

So much for special Snowflakes (college students) marching on the streets bitching about inequality, racists, misogynists and the list of oppression goes on.......

a reply to: mysterioustranger

As a female, I totally agree with you. And, no exemption based on political or financial criteria. Anyone who is physically/mentally able to hold a job should also serve 2 years of military or charitable service as a part of becoming an adult.

Fine if we do a draft again instead of making service mandatory... oubling the number of people eligible cuts in half any single individual's chance of being drafted, assuming the number of recruits required stays the same. I see that as a good thing.

Not every woman would be suited to a combat role, but then neither is every man. Again, for this reason, doubling the eligible population is a good thing.

The military doesn't just require more fighters in time of war. It requires more brain power as well. Another reason all should be eligible.

a reply to: EchoesInTime

I saw this coming. There are too many Americans not fit to fight. There is a waiver for anything, but not all diagnosis, or meds can be waiverable.

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: EchoesInTime

Not just for the draft. It ought be mandatory serving for every male and female at age 18 to serve 2 years, then be on a reserve basis.

Similar to Israel.

So what you're saying is someone should gave their freedom taken away? Interesting. Very telling.

a reply to: mysterioustranger

There should be some kind of mandatory service or training enacted in the future. Children are being raised too coddled nowadays. Having cry-ins at colleges and burning flags. Citizens turning on each other. We're all Americans and went SHTF we all need to be united.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
Women don't belong in combat... they're the reason young men sign up and fight in the first place, so keep em stateside in support roles where they belong.

No to making them draft eligible

That might have been true long ago when men fought with swords.

Today, it's all technology. The muscle is the machine. The humans only need to think, point, and press the button.

Note that the requirement at this point is to only REGISTER for a draft and not to be conscripted. In fact, universal national service could be a good thing. It would not have to be military service; it could be anything...caring for national parks, tutoring students, Peace Corps, etc. A one to two year term would be sufficient. This would certainly provide a growth experience and a taste of reality for snowflakes.

There are so many problems with this that I don't know where to start.

I am female and I am a Veteran. I volunteered to serve my country for a variety of reason. At the time I joined, quite a while back, I had faith in my country. I still love my country and I love my countrymen, but I don't trust our government officials as far as I can throw them.

I can't support sending a bunch of young, mentally fragile children, that were raised on velcro strapped shoes, to be sent off to slaughter.

I was raised in the country. I made sharp shooter my first time on the range. I grew up climbing trees, harvesting crops, and prepping the meat from the animals after slaughter. I knew what I was getting into and I was physically and mentally prepared.

I am terrified for the children in America. Most won't make it through a SHTF scenario with mommy and daddy holding their hands. Do you really want our corrupt rogue government to have access to our children as fodder?