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- Congress weighs adding women to the US military draft (newsbreak.com)
In the midst of ongoing recruitment struggles within the US military, discussions are underway in Congress about potential changes to the military draft system, which might include mandating registration for some women. This conversation comes at a time when the military is finding it increasingly challenging to enlist new service members.
A recent Senate proposal, which has been a topic of significant debate, suggests that women might be required to register for the draft if the legislation passes. This year, the military missed its recruitment target by a substantial margin, falling short by 41,000 individuals, signaling a deepening of the recruitment issue.
The House of Representatives recently passed a defense policy bill that, among other things, proposes raising the draft age from 25 to 26. This bill was approved on June 14, the same day the Senate moved forward with its proposal concerning women’s registration for the draft. However, the likelihood of these proposals becoming law is slim, partly because of opposition from some Republican representatives, as reported by The New York Times.
Amid these recruitment difficulties and ongoing global tensions, Congress is considering various reforms to the draft system and other initiatives aimed at increasing military enlistment.
A poll by Pew Research in January highlighted a related issue: only 43% of American adults aged 18 to 29 view the military positively. Furthermore, the debate over including women in the draft has been ongoing since at least 2020, following recommendations from military experts. This comes in the context of greater efforts towards equality within the armed forces, with women, since 2016, being eligible for every military role.
However, not all lawmakers support the idea of including women in the draft. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley expressed his opposition on Fox News, stating, “There shouldn’t be women in the draft. They shouldn’t be forced to serve if they don’t want to.”
For more detailed discussion, the full story is available on Business Insider’s website.
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- Congress weighs adding women to the US military draft (newsbreak.com)