The new proposal would see all men aged 18-26 automatically registered for a potential military draft
House lawmakers are considering a plan to automate Selective Service registration for all men when they reach the age of 18, making the process of a national draft easier and eliminating potential consequences associated with manual filing of paperwork.
The new draft of the House Armed Services Committee’s annual defense authorization bill would mandate that all men between the ages of 18 and 26 should be automatically registered in the Selective Service system.
The Selective Service system hasn’t been used for over half a century, since the Vietnam War, but men who fail to register face various penalties, including forfeiture of eligibility for federal programs and even jail time.
In recent years, the number of men avoiding registration has increased, in part because registration options were removed from the federal student-loan process.
“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,” said Democrat Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, in a Committee debate last week.
“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.”
Although the proposal has been approved by the Committee, it must still pass through the House and Senate before it becomes law. It is expected to do so in the fall.
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