As a result of the recent directives to the US military to make every position available to women as well as men, women are now present in every military capacity - including special forces. To avoid claims that continuing male only Selective Service registration requirements would now constitute sex discrimination, the Military recommended expanding the selective service mandate to both men and women between the ages of 18 and 26.
Yesterday the House Armed Services Committee voted on this proposal, passed it, and it will now move on to Congress and the President. It is doubtful that this proposed change to Selective Service law will fail to pass - because voting against it could constitute the continuation of sex discrimination against young American males, which would undoubtedly lead to court actions.
Compounding the problem is the fact that military recruiters must now disqualify some 80% of would-be voluntary enlistees because they do not meet current 'standards'. Those 'standards' now disqualify anyone who did NOT graduate from high school, disqualify anyone with a criminal record of any kind, disqualify anyone who isn't physically fit, disqualify anyone who fails a drug test, disqualify anyone who fails an intelligence test etc. Essentially these 'standards' put the US military in direct competition for the same 20% minority of high school graduates who can meet the other criteria that private sector employers are now also seeking.
Unfortunately for the US military, this 20% minority of high school graduates who can meet the other criteria now face an economic situation where minimum wages are rising, where private sector job availability for responsible unskilled workers with clean records etc. is steady or expanding, etc. As such, there is less financial motivation than ever for a high school graduate who meets the 'standards' to consider military enlistment. And that is especially the case since members of the US military have been subjected to multiple foreign deployments during their enlistment period as a matter of routine in recent years.
Additionally, for the past several years, budget impasses in Washington have resulted in military budget cutbacks - thus reductions in the number of active US military personnel - on a regular basis. With the passage of last December's budget law, that annual reduction in US military personnel will now stop. That alone will force the military to successfully recruit an additional 50,000 persons to totally replenish annual personnel losses. And on top of that, it is being widely recognized that present levels of US military personnel and hardware capabilities are now insufficient to cover global commitments. This is likely to lead to future year expansions of military personnel requirements, potentially another 100,000 persons per year in the short term at least.
I have no way of knowing how the Selective Service system might be used in the future. However, if 80% of young American are ineligible due to failure to meet 'standards', and if very few of the remaining 20% voluntarily choose to sign up for military service due to improved economics for low skill level private sector jobs, the Selective Service system would allow the US military to simply 'take' the 'qualified' future personnel they are going to need out of the private sector.


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