For the Bipartisan Policy Center, the current Selective Service System, among other Pentagon personnel issues, is badly out of date and in desperate need of reform, which requires cooperation from both the Pentagon and Congress.

"The biggest mistake—indeed, the worst outcome for the Defense Department—would be to do nothing," the report released Monday stated. "Elected officials and Pentagon leadership should take meaningful action to advance personnel reform by the end of 2017. Through bipartisan cooperation and leadership from public officials, the United States can ensure that its longstanding military advantage can endure well into the 21st century."

The report proposes to make Selective Service gender-equal and redesign the system to pay far more attention to specific skills or technical qualifications possessed by participants. In the event of a major disaster, the military would be able to institute a "smart draft," that is, funnel in draftees with particular aptitude in a high-demand area.