The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025 has sparked debate about provisions that would require women to register for the military draft while exempting them from serving in front-line roles. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) announced the filing of the bill, S. 4638. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously, 28–0, to move its version forward for a full Senate vote in the near future, while the House of Representatives approved its own version on June 13.
The proposed legislation authorizes $911.8 billion in funding for the military and includes several provisions aimed at improving military life. These include increasing monthly pay for junior enlisted personnel, providing housing allowances for junior personnel on sea duty, extending bonus schemes that were set to expire, and making promotions subject to delays in Senate confirmation effective retroactively.
The bill also pushes back against the Biden administration’s efforts to bring the military into line with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals by amending the United States Code to forbid using any funds “to implement a policy that prohibits or restricts the advertisement of opportunities for national service based on an applicant’s religious affiliation, belief, status, or activity.
The legislation aims to address potential personnel shortfalls as interest in national service dwindles among younger generations. The Military Services continue to face unprecedented recruiting challenges and did not meet their fiscal year 2023 recruiting goals by no fewer than 41,000 personnel.
Others who are familiar with the realities of training and combat argue that incorporating larger numbers of women into the armed forces will likely require adjusting physical standards. However, journalist Sebastian Junger noted that “efforts to integrate fire departments with women have found themselves at a kind of crossroads” when considering scaling down physical requirements or keeping them the same.
