(DailyAnswer.org) – A measure was passed by the House of Representatives on June 14 that would automatically register men aged 18-26 for selective service in the armed forces.
The measure comes under the National Defense Authorization Act, which lays out the national security and military policies of the US government over the next financial year. The NDAA has authorized a $9 billion increase from the 2024 fiscal year in military spending, which will amount to $895.2 billion.
Selective service, which is also known as the military draft, has not been invoked for over five decades. The military draft renders it mandatory for all male US citizens to register for service upon turning 18. A number of legal challenges come with failure or refusal to register, which is classified as a felony. Advocates for the amendment argued that it would reduce red tape and help US citizens avoid legal struggles as well as reducing spending of tax money on prosecuting such cases.
The bill was led by Democratic Pennsylvania Representative Chrissy Houlahan. The House Armed Services Committee overwhelmingly voted through the amendment in a 57 to 1 vote. The development comes after the defense officials insisted in late 2023 that there were no plans to reintroduce the draft. Officials claimed they had made no such recommendations to either President Joe Biden or Congress.
The development marks a trend across the West following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and warnings to Western leaders. In May 2024 UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the Conservative Party’s plans to reintroduce National Service for 18-year-olds having ruled out conscription in January 2024.
In March 2024 leaders of Baltic states urged fellow NATO leaders to bring back conscription. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs argued that European nations should return to the spending levels of the Cold War, and called on allies to reintroduce compulsory military service to reinforce the manpower of their defense forces in preparation for a potential Russian invasion.
The Selective Service agency will now be able to use the federal databases to register all required and ensure that any military draft in the future is “fair and equitable”, according to Houlahan in a debate in May. She stressed the need to focus on readiness with less need to rely on advertising campaigns.
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