I spent this past Veterans Day as a guest in a sophomore English class talking about military service. When I asked the boys what was required of them soon after their 18th birthdays, "vote" and "go to college" were popular answers.

These were smart kids. They knew the answer must be military related, but none of them saw boot camp in their future. In three classes, no student seemed aware that the law will require him to register for Selective Service.

In fact, upon hearing the word "draft," most of the students looked relieved. That could never happen, they must think. We haven't used the draft in over 40 years. For most of their young lives, we've been fighting two simultaneous wars without conscription.

The draft does not seem to have much effect on young people today. But there may be some interesting changes soon — for the girls.

This month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in California heard arguments on a constitutional equal protection challenge to the male-only requirement to register for selective service. The case, National Coalition of Men v. Selective Service System, is debating the degree to which changes in defense policy may render women equal to men for the purposes of the draft.

The larger policy implications are quite interesting. This is primarily because on Dec. 3, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter declared that by January female service members will be allowed to serve in any military job for which they meet gender-neutral performance standards.

This watershed decision means that limiting mandatory draft registration to men could soon be held to be unconstitutional on the basis of equal protection. It's very likely that in the near future, either Congress will act to require Selective Service registration for women, or a court will rule on a challenge to Rostker v. Goldberg, the1981 decision that upheld the male-only draft.

As a combat veteran and the father of two young daughters, I embrace the expansion of Selective Service.

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In Afghanistan and Iraq, women played integral roles on the front lines as members of cultural support teams. High-ranking female officers already hold leadership positions in all branches of the military. It is clear that more gender equality improves our national defense.

However, like those students, I know it is unlikely that my daughters will be conscripted into the military. Budget cuts and sequestration have led to downsizing. Today, fully trained service members are being forced out.

But a gender-equal draft would be much more useful if it could also offer national solutions beyond military manpower.

In recent years, leaders such as Gen. Stanley McChrystal have pointed out the benefit that a draft could have for institutions of national and international civilian service such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps. Others have gone so far as to propose new Selective Service models that would include an opt-out for those who don't want to serve — so long as they also opt out of other government programs such as Medicare and federally backed mortgages.

Perhaps the most significant use of a federal database that involves every young adult in the country is voter registration. Consider it as the "motor voter" program on steroids. Check a box on your draft registration form, and you'd automatically be registered to vote. But that is only possible if women are included in Selective Service.

Ideas like these can reinvent a biased and dated Selective Service System as a "welcome to adult citizenship" moment. It would unite national defense, civilian service and electoral participation — some of the key tenets of an engaged citizenry — all in one system.

Moreover, as our country continues national debates on refugees, voting requirements, civil rights and future boots-on-the-ground combat, it is crucial that all Americans have a real stake in the conversations.

Even if we don't actually conscript people into the military, we should revive the draft as a way to strengthen national security and participation in our democracy. For those sophomores I met, and for the rest of us, it seems that a nice reminder of what it means to be an American might be overdue.

Chris Marvin is a retired Army officer, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot, and a combat-wounded veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He is the principal for Marvin Strategies. He is also a fellow with the Truman National Security Project.