The plan would use federal records to help address the drop in registrants in the past two years.
The House Armed Services Committee has included a proposal in the National Defense Authorization Bill that would automatically register all males between 18 and 26 who live in the U.S. into the Selective Service System. Though legally required to do so, the number of males who have not registered for the federal military draft database has increased after the registration option was removed from the federal student loan process.
Representative Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, who sponsored the legislation, said, “By using available federal databases, the [Selective Service] agency will be able to register all of the individuals required and thus help ensure that any future military draft is fair and equitable. This will also allow us to rededicate resources — basically that means money — towards reading readiness and towards mobilization… rather than towards education and advertising campaigns driven to register people.”
The proposal is not a move to reinstitute the military draft, which has not been used in 52 years.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for federal legislators as they consider frugal ways to ensure compliance with legal mandates for registration.
- For members of the House as they evaluate the proposal for automatic Selective Service registration.
Sources: Defense News, USA Today
