Should Young Americans Be Required To Do Public Service? Federal Panel Says Maybe

The chairman of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service says the panel’s overarching goal is to “create a universal expectation of service” in which every American is “inspired and eager to serve.”

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Should the U.S. require its citizens to perform public service? Should its young women register for the draft?

A federal panel says it is working on answers to those questions — and is considering how the nation could implement a universal service program and whether it should be mandatory or optional.

“In a country of more than 329 million people, the extraordinary potential for service is largely untapped,” said Joe Heck, chairman of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. On Wednesday, he and his fellow commissioners unveiled the panel’s interim report to Congress.