The Pentagon made a statement...

women will now have access to every military occupation that men do.  Equality of opportunity.  This is a really good thing.

So here's hoping that Congress takes action to ensure that the flip side of opening military service in all specialities and roles to women is addressed as well.  I'm referring to the draft.  To the Selective Service Act.

Wait a minute.  We don't have a draft these days.  That ended a long time ago.  We've had an all-volunteer force since 1977.

But that's not the full story.  The Selective Service System still exists and all male citizens must register with the Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday.  Failure to do so means a loss of any opportunity for federally backed student loans or grants. 

Until now, women have been exempted from the draft, exempted from registering for Selective Service.  One of the arguments in favor of this exemption is that women couldn't serve in combat.  But that argument is no longer valid.

The Supreme Court upheld the right of Congress to limit the draft to men, as part of focusing on "military need" rather than equality.  That argument is also no longer valid.

In the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman", filmed in the early 1980s, a female officer candidate says "I wouldn't mind being the first woman to fly fighters in combat."  One of her fellow candidates who happened to be male said "great, go in my place." 

I'm all for equality.  Equality of opportunity AND equality of treatment.