The Obama administration is considering proposing changes to the Selective Service that would allow women to sign up for the draft.
The Associated Press first reported the development, which comes one day after Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the military to open up all combat jobs to women despite a request from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to keep certain Marine Corps ground combat jobs closed to female service members.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Friday that the Pentagon has performed an analysis of how the change announced Thursday could affect the U.S. Military Selective Service Act, which requires eligible men to register for the draft when they turn 18.
"We’re going to work with Congress to look at that analysis, to review it, to get others’ opinions and determine if additional reforms or changes are necessary in light of this decision," Earnest said.
He further stated that President Obama has not yet weighed in on the matter.
Carter’s decision will allow women into approximately 220,000 combat jobs that they were previously barred from holding, including special operations forces and other demanding positions.
He overruled arguments from Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who recommended ground combat jobs remain closed to women following an in-depth Marine Corps study that showed female service members perform worse than their male counterparts in combat operations. Dunford was commandant of the Marine Corps when he made the recommendation.
Carter had been mulling the issue since September.
The Selective Service Act mandates eligible men to register for the draft when they reach the age of 18. If they fail to do so, they are subject to fines. Carter has in the past said that he is open to reviewing the draft in light of the increasing role of women in the military.
Army Secretary John McHugh forecasted in October that opening up combat roles to women would eventually lead lawmakers to have an "emotional discussion and debate" about whether women should be required to enter the draft.
"If your objective is true and pure equality, then you have to look at all aspects and at some point Selective Service will have to be one of those things considered very carefully," McHugh stated at the Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.