A House committee bill will now require women to register for the military draft just months after the Defense Department lifted all gender-based restrictions on front-line combat units.
A divided Armed Services Committee supported the provision in a sweeping defense policy bill that the full House will consider next month, bolstering a provocative debate about the role of women in the military.
The 32-30 vote Wednesday night was not without a twist.
The proposal's author didn't back it.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a former Marine who served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, does not support drafting women into combat and opposes opening infantry and special operations positions to women.