WashingtonThe US military has not activated a draft in more than 50 years, although Congress is weighing proposals to update mandatory conscription, including expanding it to women for the first time and automatically registering those who are eligible to be drafted. .
The proposals making their way through the House and Congress have a slim chance of becoming law, and none would be compelling to enlist immediately.
While the debate over potential changes reflects how lawmakers are rethinking recruiting at a time when readiness challenges have increased, as the Pentagon is currently facing recruiting challenges in the face of risks and conflicts in everyone.
Last week, the House approved an annual defense proposal, along with authorizing $895 billion in military spending including a 19.5 percent increase in troop pay, contained in a bipartisan proposal that could make the record for recruitment to be automatic.
At the same time, a Senate committee last week approved a version of proposed Pentagon policies that could expand the registration requirement for women.
Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, chairman of the panel, has defended the parity proposal.
Current law requires most men between the ages of 18 and 25 to register with the Selective Service, the agency that maintains a database of those who might be subject to a military draft.
The program is intended to allow military officials to determine who is eligible as a draftee in the event that Congress and the president activate the levy, which last occurred in 1973 at the end of the Vietnam War.
Failure to register is considered a crime and may result in a series of punishments.
At least 46 states and territories have laws that automatically register men for the Selective Service when they get a driver’s license or apply to college, which has helped the program have a high compliance rate.
#Congress #Debate #Expanding #Military #Recruitment #Challenges