Selective Service System to Include Women
The House Armed Services Committee voted last month to expand registration for the Selective Service System, known as the draft, to include women. This move brings the requirement one step closer to becoming law.
Seems fair to me- a small but loud contingent of military women demanded access to all combat arms, claiming promotion obstacles.
They succeeded, opening all military duties to females. The wisdom of this move has been discussed here at length, and needs not repeated.
Then there is the Law of Unintended Consequences. If females can serve in all MOS’/NECs, there should be no barrier to have them required to register for the draft, just as their male counterparts have done.
Right?
Hawley moving to block Dem attempts to include women in military draft
A congressionally-mandated commission backed the idea last year.
By Sam Dorman
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., filed an amendment Monday in an attempt to prevent Democrats from requiring women to register for the military draft – something he says is out of step with the American public.
Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed, D-R.I., had proposed changing the National Defense Authorization Act’s language to require all “all Americans,” rather than males, register for the draft. The current proposal uses the gender neutral “person.”
On Sunday, Hawley told Fox News he thought the idea was “so wrong and out of touch with most Americans.”
“Most Americans say if a woman wants to serve that’s wonderful – and by the way, women have been absolutely central to our war efforts since we have been a country, in many different ways, including of course fighting. But the idea that they be forced into compulsory service, I just think it’s crazy.”
Actually there currently is no draft per se- on 28 Jan 1973 then Defense Secretary Melvin Laird announced the military draft had ended, and the all-volunteer force was established. It would take an act of Congress and the President to reinstate the draft lottery in case of a national emergency. But all must register.
Careful what you ask for.
Category: Big Pentagon, Disposable Warriors, Legal
Seems long overdue to me. If we’re all equal, then we should all be treated equal.
I do wonder if a draft is instituted, would they draft equal numbers of men and women?
If a new draft is ever instituted, they should draft MORE women than men.
Especially into the infantry.
This would be, “Affirmative Action”, to make up for all the years women were unfairly denied the
opportunity to serve their county in time of need.
Slick Goodlin,
Good news, pilot openings for well qualified females continue.
More good news, the washout rates in Navy/Marines pilot training
for those who spoke of their liberal politics
were MUCH HIGHER than the washout rates
for those who either spoke of the right,
or didn’t speak of politics at all.
That’s good news for our air power and air supoort.
That’s bad news for those
who serve under the washout Plan B officers
in Marine infantry units and on Navy ships and shores.
I am advising my grandchildren to never join this woke military as it will likely needlessly injure or kill them for naught.
As we have seen, it is now run by a bunch of corrupt incompetents.
👍🏼👍🏼
“corrupt incompetents”
Ok, I’ll say it…Communists
Either way, they’re not responsible for their actions.
If they are over about 12 years old, they are absolutely responsible for their actions. They certainly should be accountable if they are over 20.
They may be ignorant but they are responsible for it.
Yes, we know that. But, they’ll make everybody else responsible for their screw-ups. They’ll never be responsible for jack diddley if they can help it.
Sux to be any of the First, Second, or Third Generation FemiNazis. Conundrum, conflict. What to do?
Feminist: (hmmm…..I wanted equal opportunity…..now I’m being required to register for the hated paternalistic military draft…..and if I don’t register will I be cut out of certain scholarships and future jobs? What to do? What to do?)
I’ll say it quite simply: yes, women should have to register for the draft.
Let me get specific with my simplicity. We should not resort to a draft or conscription. We should remain all volunteer. But if have to draft, women should have to be a part of it.
I had a lot of wimmins volunteering to draft me today at the K Roger. Hitting the 75% of Helloween Candy Rack FIRST got their attention. Ree Cee Cup? Snickers? Milky Way? Baby Ruth? There’s others too. Want some candy little girl? (6 maybe 9 lbs)
You’re right nobunny…all or none should register. At least two (2) problems with draft registration. FIRST (ht 2 KoB), in a National Emergency by the time a draft was instituted the war would be over; Second, if a National Draft WAS instituted, millions would be draft evaders.
Patriotic Women have stepped up to defend their Hearth, Home, and Children from the very beginning. History is replete with examples. The term “Mama Bear” is not limited to the Ursa Genus.
Here’s one example;
https://exploresouthernhistory.com/nancyharts.html
The women of Jackson, Georgia met Sherman’s Troops outside of town. The Ladies were armed with pitchforks, rakes, brooms, and torches. Same scene was repeated thru-out his retreat to the sea.
Let me see if I can form a cogent thought. I’m a little worried about my brain because -damn- it got cold here all at once. I need some 100 proof antifreeze, and some chocolate.
I’ll say some things you all know:
KoB is right. It might seem strange to some men, but some women feel called to serve in the military – just as strongly as men. (Me. But I have a litany of medical problems, any one of which is disqualifying.)
Not all women want to have children. I realize it’s a primitive instinct, and it’s unusual to lose that instinct, but it happens. (Me, also.)
I am a Gen Xer (1965-1980ish) so I still love that men feel compelled to protect women. Chivalry is great. But some women (even us arrow straight heterosexuals) would be just fine jumping in with the boys and beating some wholesale ass. (I liked to make a fight VERY unfair. LEOs/firefighters/medics/ER peeps – you know what I’m saying.)
Just food for thought. Where’s the chocolate?
I have several pounds here at Casa Toxic. Mostly Dark Chocolate. It’s one of my “go tos” gift requests, “what do you want for (birthday, Father’s Day, etc). You’re welcome to come over any time.
Shucks, you and KoB.
Chocolate: sweet, sweet dopamine boost.
Total of 12.69 lbs assorted. Some already staged in the 1896 store candy jar. Remember the kind that had the wire and wooden handle w screw on top? It pretty much stays stocked. Milky Way? Baby Ruth? Snickers? Ree Cee? The list goes on. All fun size…no minis here.
Oh…btw…a trip to a different K Roger planned for tomorrow…just to see what they may have.
You can never have too much: candy, ammo…
Which is the way it currently is. The draft died in 1975, and we haven’t done it since then. I agree that wimmins should have absolutely no special privilege where the draft is concerned, but then I used to clamor for a board of review any time a military wimmins got knocked up, to determine if it was to get out of military service, and if it was found to be so, they should be court martialled for a self inflicted wound. All gotta be equal…
Was watching one of those Felton I think his name is when the Russians went through Berlin after the war was over and the flick showed these Russian Soldiers walking and they looked like they did the job along with the men but then ago, those Russian woman have bigger bones/heavier body structure than US women. I think I got this right but I could be wrong.
At that time, all those country boys and girls grew up hard. They were all ready to endure the deprivations.
When I worked in a hospital, we had a Russian who had lost all his toes to frostbite fighting against the Germans. He had some BIG kidney stones surgically removed. His anesthesia was a spinal, which meant back in those days that he had to lay flat for six hours or else he would have a massive headache.
I went into his room right after he came back from the OR and he was up and walking around, normal as can be. He refused to lay back down and he refused any pain medication his entire stay. This after major surgery. Now THAT is tough!
Also, I had a shipmate who grew up on a farm in North Dakota. He told me that he LOVED boot camp. He got to sleep in to 6am and didn’t have to milk any cows!
Had a professional drag racer as a patient once, back in the ’60s. He had three or four discs fused; and walked to the nurses station that same night to ask me to go buy him a pack of smokes. Said he wasn’t sure he could handle the elevator. Tough guy.
Any of the Soviets that survived Stalin’s purge, the depression, and Holodomor were predisposed to hardiness.
Fair’s fair– equal rights mean equal responsibilities.
I blame Lincoln. 1862 this nation threw out any legitimacy regarding the role of the militia in affairs of the Union. (I know, I was shocked too)
“Service guarantees citizenship” or something…
“And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” -Key, Francis Scott, 1 Each.
Get it. FREEDOM is the operative requirement for ‘triumph’, worthy of a banner. Yet, instead of clawing back Our Rights as a ‘band [of] [swearers]’ we argue about the drapes with the House on fire.
May the get their wish. (read: ‘May you live in interesting times’ -Chinese proverb)
May THEY get their wish.
My headache has a headache. Damn you, mold and leaf season
Either everyone registers, or nobody registers.
^^^^^ I agree.
Really I think the draft is only useful if we need cannon fodder and we don’t fight wars by hurling “waves and waves of our own men” (in the immortal words of Zapp Branigan of the Democratic Order of Planets) at the enemy guns.
I’d prefer to see the program scrapped and the retainers told to find more useful jobs.
But if we MUST have draft registration, then everybody registers. Male, female, or any of the other 56 genders.
Absolutely agree. Selective Service is a perfect example of the difficulty in ending a Federal program once it has begun. Tens of millions of dollars every year for something of limited utility to a 21st century military. The money would be better off spent issuing an AR and a crate of ammo to every 18yo who can pass a MEPS physical, background check, and basic security screening. (only somewhat TIC)
Truth. I’ve been of the opinion since I was but a nubly boot that if it got bad enough to warrant a draft, we were pretty well fucked regardless. Considering we’ve had the ability to annihilate our enemies (and they us) in a matter of hours, if not minutes, the lead time a draft would necessitate pretty much renders it moot.
Only to be a contrarian, if a draft is ever reinstated, one could assume an existential threat to the United States.
After we lose unknown numbers of people fighting, we will need to repopulate. It only takes one man, but it takes many women to repopulate.
Maybe this isn’t the best of ideas. Of course, I have five daughters (one in the Army) and one son, so I may be a bit biased.
I borrowed the following from my favorite graduate of the US Naval Academy.
“I also think there are prices too high to pay to save the United States. Conscription is one of them. Conscription is slavery, and I don’t think that any people or nation has a right to save itself at the price of slavery for anyone, no matter what name it is called If a country can’t save itself through the volunteer service of its own free people, then I say: Let the damned thing go down the drain!”
My father servedd as a Marine for 26 years. His headstone reads World War II, Korea, Vietnam. He was not drafted. My mother served 2 years in the Navy and her headstone reads Korea, she was not drafted. My older sister served 25 years in the Air Force. My younger sister served 5 years in the Army. I spent 24 year on Active duty in the Air Force. All volunteers.
I have a middle school daughter who is in High School and her second year of JROTC. I have a son in Middle School.
This idea is beyond stupid. I’d like to know the military service history of Congress Critter Reed as well as how many daughters of his are subject to this law.
He really is an under-appreciated man:
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”
― Robert A. Heinlein
He forgot picking a lock, a skill I’ve used on several occasions. My powers are used only for good, though.
Ditto, PowerPoint– learned it in the service.
“And that is the moral result of realizing a self-evident biological fact: Men are expendable; women and children are not. A tribe or a nation can lose a high percentage of its men and still pick up the pieces and go on… as long as the women and children are saved. But if you fail to save the women and children, you’ve had it, you’re done, you’re THROUGH! You join tyrannosaurus rex, one more breed that bilged its final test.
I must amplify that. I know that women can fight and often have. I have known many a tough old grandmother I would rather have on my side in a tight spot than any number of pseudo-males who disdain military service. My wife put in three years of active duty in World War Two, plus ten years reserve, and I am proud – very proud! – of her naval service. I am proud of every one of our women in uniform; they are a shining example to us men.” – R.A.H. Forrestal Lecture April 1973
The Senator is a West Point grad according to his web site.
The old saying, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it comes to mind…
As there is no draft this is a relatively meaningless piece of legislation, but relatively meaningless is what most of them do best.
Normally I’d agree, VOV, but the Klown Krew in charge gives me pause. After all, there’s a National Emergency currently occupying the Oval Office.
Don’t forget the other (435)+(100+1)+(9) problems down the street?
寧為太平犬，不做亂世人
For what it’s worth, I don’t agree with this philosophy. Pink Floyd had it right, and a walk-on part in the war is much more worthwhile than a lead role in a cage.
Funny how on this subject the opinions seem to be pretty evenly split. Here’s mine: No. The draft is a DEMAND made by the government that you must join the military during times of war. A country that DEMANDS that women fight and possibly die to protect the nation is a WEAK COUNTRY. The fact that the feminists and other leftists have obliterated the lines that kept women out of combat roles increases the likelihood of this. Men and women aren’t the same. There are different roles for them in society. These seemingly societal roles are largely the result of reality. Boiled down to its essence (and not even talking about strength differences) – Women have babies. Men do not. It takes 9 months for a women to give birth. The man’s part is over in a matter of minutes. In other words, you can kill off a bunch of young men and still be protecting the country if you have women around. I’m not saying that is or ever was stated ideology of our (or anyone’s) country, those are just the plain realities behind what generally has formed societies since there have been societies. Women should be highly regarded by a society and not for working at the widget factory or working spreadsheets for some company. These are things we used to know but they have been drummed out of us almost completely by the progressives’ ruthless stranglehold over news, academia and entertainment. All of the conservative men about should be saying NO to this because we should hold women in higher esteem than our country apparently does at the moment. We should not hold a “you broke it, you bought it” or “you asked for it” attitude. Just because they asked for it and just because they are trying really hard to break it doesn’t mean we get to “own them” by making them live by the rules they attempt to implement. Wrong is wrong and we shouldn’t forget that just because our political opponents have confused things so completely, we still should hold the line for what’s… Read more »
A very cursory review of Mandatory Military Service (i.e. conscription) worldwide shows a surprising number of countries that have military service requirements for women as well as men. Of course everyone knows about Israel but also Morocco, Sudan and Norway. A couple of others as well.
Forgot to link my source:
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-mandatory-military-service
Excerpt: “Most compulsory service is for adult males. However, some nations have compulsory service for women. These countries are Armenia, Cape Verde, Chad, China, Eritrea, Israel, Norway, North Korea, and Sweden.”
Well, looking at the list of countries, it’s not a ringing endorsement.
But it’s not without precedent either, which was my point.
Are those not also countries with universal conscription as a thing you do as a citizen? I know that is the case in Israel and most (at least some) European countries. That isn’t the same as drafting guys in time of war. I know Israel is in a constant state of war, but their situation is different (I know that much). To me the question is “did we run out of men?” To the extent that we think women need to be forced to go off and protect us, I would say the answer is ‘yes’.
Remember, the question is being FORCED to fight. I have no problem with volunteers. Of course, I’m not a fan of women (even those volunteers) in direct combat roles. (Lots of nuance to this.)
If the pols want to change something why don’t they change the language to let illegals get drafted.
If you have to rely on foreigners to fight for you, your country is not worth fighting for.
Agreed. No ‘hirelings’ or Hessians.
Equal stake for all who dare!
Also, the fingerlicking of Francerland by the early UC of A is…disturbing.
Now that WAS tweaking. You guys gotta figure out when I’m trying to poke the opposition. I’m not really serious about drafting illegals. Except to go back home, that is.
There’s a reason male birds are more colorful than females of the same species – they’re more expendable.
It’s the only reasonable argument I can find for not forcing women to register – but countered by the argument that any legitimate demand for a draft will come with either enough of an assessment that the majority of female draftees will end up in fitting roles (nursing, espionage, MP, etc.) rather than in the infantry, combat engineering, artillery, etc.
…or with such a desperate need for riflemen that biology is trumped by the need for sheer numbers.
We currently have way more people in the United States than we had in WWII. Also, we probably wouldn’t need as many people in infantry type positions (or put another way, not as many infantry positions to non-infantry positions) because of the modern way of pursuing war. So I don’t think numbers of ground pounders will be an issue. (Of course all of that depends on the war – I know.) With that said – I guess that would be more of a case FOR drafting women – that is, that there are so many more non-combat jobs to do.
Still, I’m going to stick with the principle of the thing and say no to drafting women. I just don’t want the Government saying that our women HAVE to join the military. Perhaps I’m just behind the times but if so, I’d say the current times suck.
I’ll agree that the current times suck.
On a personal and principled level, fair is fair and equal is equal. If a potential female soldier wants to be treated the same as a potential male soldier, make her commit to the same things I have to do as a soldier (or potential soldier). Ruck the same gear for the same distance, run as fast for as long, carry that fat ass shitbird as far as I have to after he stops a round with his excessive shitbird ass… and register for the draft the same as I had to.
Should my own daughter ask what I think of her joining the military, personal trumps principle. I know what soldiers are, and I don’t want her near them. I want her to meet a good guy, not any of us.
NO!!
This……
[Israel is one of only a few countries in the world with a
mandatory military service requirement for women.
According to the IDF,
535 female Israeli soldiers had been killed in combat operations
between the period 1962-2016]
Plenty of photos here….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Israel_Defense_Forces
Oh,
the females who serve in Israel
look a LOT more Americanized, patriotic, and HAPPY
than the variety of caps, curls, and Mercedes S Class cars
I see between New York City, D.C, Philly, NJ, and Boston….
….who, I may add, have a very LOW percentage of participation
in the US military and the defense of our nation.
That’s not anti-semitic.
That’s simple truth, much like Pennsylvania Amish simple truth.
I understand and agree with all of the biological arguments for NO.
That said, hell yes! Draft ’em. The girls only want to be treated differently than the boys when they get the benefits. They yell, scream, protest, and sue to make themselves equal, so let’s give them what they demand. Rifle and armor companies should be at least 50% female. Society wants women equal, and that’s what they should get. Elections have consequences.
Let’s go Brandon!