Do Boys In Il Have To Register For The Draft When They Turn 18

Capitol Hill -- A U.South. Senate commission has approved legislation that would, if enacted, require young women to register for Selective Service alongside men, and in the rare event of a war or other national emergency, exist drafted for the first time in the nation's history.

During the Vietnam State of war -- between 1964 and 1973 -- nearly 2 million men were drafted in the U.South., co-ordinate to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Just afterward, in 1973, facing a tide of opposition to the controversial draft, President Richard Nixon officially ended armed forces conscription, and the U.Due south. established an all-volunteer forcefulness.

But even though the draft is no more, about young men, including immigrants, are required to register with the War machine Selective Service in case conscription becomes necessary once over again. Federal law requires registration when a man turns 18 years of age, and immigrants are required to register within xxx days of arriving in the country.

The new legislation, authored by Senate Military Commission Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., would remove whatever reference to "male person" in current law, leaving women on an equal playing field.

But not anybody is on lath.

Committee fellow member Josh Hawley, R-Mo., announced his opposition to the measure, tweeting Friday, "American women take heroically served in and alongside our fighting forces since our nation's founding - Information technology'southward one thing to permit American women to cull this service, simply information technology'southward quite another to force it upon our daughters, sisters, and wives. Missourians feel strongly that compelling women to fight our wars is wrong and then exercise I."

Women have been serving at all levels of the military since 2013 when the Pentagon opened upwardly front-line, ground gainsay positions to them, and supporters of the Reed legislation say information technology'south high fourth dimension that women sign up, particularly since the service has inverse dramatically since the Vietnam era.

PHOTO: Sen. Jack Reed speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., June 24, 2021. — Sen. Jack Reed speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., June 24, 2021.

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"This isn't our grandpa'south military," a Senate aide close to the thing told ABC News in an interview, noting that should a draft exist instituted, the greater need present would be for more than educated conscripts in the specialty branches, similar those with an expertise in cyber, technology and STEM, besides as doctors and lawyers.

"So, while a typhoon is highly unlikely in many of our lifetimes, none of that raises the same arguments about physicality -- all of the things that were used to argue for a male-only draft," the aide said. "It's a different earth."

When asked if President Joe Biden supports the change, a White House aide pointed to a September 2020 Armed services Officers Association of America candidate forum in which so-candidate Biden said, "The Usa does not demand a larger armed forces, and nosotros don't demand a typhoon at this time...I would, still, ensure that women are too eligible to annals for the Selective Service Arrangement so that men and women are treated equally in the upshot of hereafter conflicts."

In a Supreme Court case earlier this year, the ACLU challenged the constitutionality of an all-male person draft legislation, but the acting solicitor general pointed to probable action from Congress in arguing that the high court hold off making a judgement, which it eventually acceded to.

PHOTO: United States Marine Corps (USMC) recruits from Lima Company, the first gender integrated training class in San Diego, march, April 21, 2021, at Camp Pendleton. — United states of america Marine Corps (USMC) recruits from Lima Visitor, the offset gender integrated training grade in San Diego, march while covered in mud following an obstacle form during The Crucible, the final function of phase three of recruit training before officially condign United states Marines, April 21, 2021, at Camp Pendleton.

Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The Reed legislation is part of a massive defense policy measure known as the National Defense Authorization Deed, a highly popular slice of legislation giving raises to U.S. troops, funding many new military systems, weapons upgrades and more. It is considered must-pass legislation, and it is expected that the new selective service requirement for women volition remain in place, according to the aide.

The Senate most passed the legislation back in 2017, but instead a national commission was created to written report the effect, forth with a wider mandate to look at national public service in general.

That National Commission on Military, National, & Public Service last year came out in favor of the Reed position, and the senator took his current legislation directly from the committee findings.

"In reviewing the question of whether Selective Service registration should include women, the Commission seriously considered a wide range of deeply felt moral, legal, and applied arguments and explored the available empirical evidence," the panel'due south written report read.

"The Committee ended that the time is right to extend Selective Service System registration to include men and women, betwixt the ages of eighteen and 26. This is a necessary and fair step, making it possible to draw on the talent of a unified Nation in a time of national emergency," the report concluded.

Taken together, the Senate aide said, the sentiment was, "If nosotros're going to accept a typhoon - a selective service system - and then women have to be involved."

"The recognition is that nosotros're probably non going to have a military draft, but if we do, and so we recognize that you can't fight with one mitt tied behind your back," the adjutant added.

Plus, the aide noted, back in 2016 when the initial idea was beingness seriously considered, all iv service chiefs testified in favor of calculation women.

Congress for years has shot down the idea of mandatory registration for women, but times are changing. The NDAA -- with the requirement in information technology -- passed the Senate Armed forces Commission 23-2 this week.

If the legislation survives, the measure would get into effect i year after enactment of the new law.

ABC New' Justin Gomez contributed to this report.