Watch CBS News

Committee Approves Bill Requiring Women To Register For Military Draft

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Women may soon be eligible to be drafted into the military.

The House Armed Services Committee approved a measure that requires women to register with the Selective Services and for the possibility of being drafted into the military, CBS News reported. 

The bill passed by a committee vote of 32-30 on Wednesday, without the support of bill sponsor Rep. Duncan Hunter, according to CBS News.

Under current law, all men ages 18 to 26 are required to register with the Selective Service, in case a draft needs to be enacted, according to the Military Times.

The move to open the draft up to women comes several months after the Defense Department changed its policy to allow all genders to be considered for expanded military responsibilities, including in-line and front-line combat missions if an applicant qualifies based on military standards.

The bill will become a part of the nation's larger defense spending bill and is expected to be voted on by Congress later this year.

The last military draft conducted by the United States was during the Vietnam War.

In 2015, Lt. Shaye Haver of Copperas Cove, Texas, and Capt. Kristen Griest of Orange, Connecticut, became the first women to graduate from the Army's elite Ranger School along with 94 male soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.