Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta recently announced that the ban on women in combat, which formerly excluded the female population from serving in particular combat roles in the military, had been lifted. These roles, which were previously reserved for males, accounted for nearly 25 percent of all the active combat positions available. This change for women’s equality has sparked an interest in the eyes of the top military leaders- specifically the Army and Marine Corps Chiefs. These men last week stated that with the new integrated roles in the military, women should be required to register for the draft just like their male counterparts.

The Selective Service System has required for decades that all U.S. males and immigrants from ages 18 to 25 to register for the draft. It was created in order to make sure that the military was never short-handed in a time of crisis and panic. Even though a person is registered, they will not automatically be inducted into the military. If the country had an emergency involving warfare, men, and, if some generals have their way, women, would be called in a sequence determined at random. Then they would be examined for mental, physical, and moral fitness by the military before being exempted from military service or inducted into the Armed Forces.

Now that all military jobs are open for women, including combat roles, all U.S. citizens should be required to register for the draft. This doesn’t necessarily mean that every woman will serve, but, if a draft were to be reinstated, women would be drafted alongside men. This plan will not be very popular with some women, and there are still concerns about committing significant numbers of women to combat. There are also some worry about whether or not females can handle the some of the more physically demanding aspects of certain jobs in the military. Despite these concerns, putting men and women on equal footing with regard to draft registration is seen as a step forward in helping women achieve gender equality in the world to most military leaders.