Army and Marine Corps chiefs call for women to be registered for the military draft

Top Army and Marine Corps officers testified on Tuesday that women should be required to register for military drafts, The Washington Post reports. The decision comes on the heels of the Pentagon's recent expansion of combat unit jobs to women in the service.

The Selective Service System has existed since 1917, but it never required women to face the draft and possible military service. Nearly all men between 18 and 26 are required to register, including non-U.S. citizens living in the country, such as refugees. While Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter recently expanded all military jobs to women without exception, the official's testimony on Tuesday represents the first time voices in the Defense Department have come out officially in favor of the change to the draft.

"It's my personal view in light of integration that every American physically qualified should register for the draft," Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller told senators during the hearing.

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