Vicky Hartzler: It's time to end the draft

(From Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler)

Despite not using the draft for nearly five decades, some members of Congress are seeking to expand registration requirements and penalties to females. 

This proposed expansion is unnecessary and raises significant questions about the registration requirements currently in place. As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, I voted against extending the draft to females when it was debated in the Committee.

This week, I furthered these efforts with the introduction of two pieces of legislation: the Stop Military Selective Service Registration Act and the End the Draft Act. Both bills would end mandatory registration for the draft by repealing the Military Selective Service Act. The Stop Military Selective Service Registration Act would, instead, place the Selective Service System into a deep standby mode, which could only be reestablished by a two-thirds majority vote in Congress.

Given the strength of our nation’s Armed Forces, the apparent lack or purpose of the Selective Service’s use, and the $26 million it costs each year to run an inactive program, it is wholly unnecessary to burden American citizens with registering for the draft. Instead, we should focus our priorities on ensuring we remain the most dominating military force on the planet.