WASHINGTON — The top officers in the Army and Marine Corps testified Tuesday that they believe it is time for women to register for future military drafts, following the Pentagon’s recent decision to open all jobs in combat units to female service members.

General Mark A. Milley, chief of staff of the Army, and General Robert B. Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, said they were in favor of the change during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

The comments are a first in the Defense Department. Previously, senior defense officials have said that the issue would need to be researched following Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s historic decision in December to open all jobs in the military to women.

Selective Service laws have never required women to subject themselves to the draft and face the prospect of being forced into military service. The current version of the Military Selective Service Act requires that virtually all men in the United States between the ages of 18 and 26 register.

Washington Post