The affects of pregnant troops on readiness is not just theoretical but a reality. Too many women on board ship and in forward combat units have already been sent stateside due to pregnancy, therefore leaving billet vacancies.
The primary use of the draft is to fill combat billets in the Army. Men are drafted into the Army only. There is no draft for the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, or Air Force.
Any rating (Navy, Coast Guard) or specialty/MOS (Army, Marines, Air Force) has the potential to be a combat billet. It is not just the assigned specialty but the location of the billet that classifies it combat or non-combat. A Gunners' Mate in a stateside recruiting billet is not in combat. A cook in Baghdad is in a combat zone. The cook would receive hazardous duty pay, and the gunny would not.
Yes, I know about the women pilots. I was part of the Public Affairs team that was involved with all the media hoopla about the first Navy women pilots' training at NAS Pensacola, over 30 years ago. Flying combat aircraft was one of the legal hurdles that had to be overcome. At first women could fly only transport and support aircraft because they weren't allowed to fly "combat" aircraft or even be assigned to squadrons that were based on carriers.
