Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services
The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services was one of the oldest Department of Defense federal advisory committees and was established in 1951 by then-Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall. The committee was composed of civilian women and men appointed by the SecDef to provide advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to the recruitment, retention, employment, integration, well-being, and treatment of women in the U.S. Armed Forces. As a discretionary DoD federal advisory committee, it was authorized under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 and 41 C.F.R. § 102-3.50. Committee members reviewed issues and conducted information-gathering activities through installation visits, meetings, reports, and surveys. The committee typically met quarterly and provided recommendations to the SecDef for consideration via an annual report.
In May 2025, the DOD, under Secretary Pete Hegseth, proposed cutting fourteen defense advisory boards, including DACOWITS. On September 24, 2025, DACOWITS was terminated by Hegseth, who stated that the committee was “advancing a divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness”.
Formation
The Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 established specific roles for women in the peacetime Armed Forces of the United States. Previously, women had only been allowed to serve as nurses in peacetime with a wider variety of roles only open to them in time of war. However, with the start of the Korean War in June 1950, the DoD began to investigate ways to increase recruitment and retention of women in all services. Internal inquiries from defense agencies, such as the National Security Resources Board, and external pressure from politicians, such as Senator Margaret Chase Smith, added to the sense of urgency in defining a more comprehensive position for women in the military.At the suggestion of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower Anna Rosenberg, Marshall formed the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services in August 1951. Its first chair was Mary Pillsbury Lord, a civic activist who had been chair of the National Civilian Advisory Committee of the Women's Army Corps. Some of its original members included Oveta Culp Hobby, the first WAC director; Mildred McAfee Horton, former director of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service ; Ruth Streeter, former director of the Women Marines; actress Helen Hayes; Sarah G. Blanding, Vassar College president; engineer Lillian Gilbreth; and publisher Beatrice Gould. Meeting for three days at the Pentagon in 1951, they heard presentations about recruiting and the possible need for a women's draft based on the failure of recruiting during World War II to meet the military services' requirements for women. The committee helped to develop policies and standards for women in the military—using them, expanding their opportunities, recruiting them, and training them. The committee ensured that military women would have representation at the Department of Defense.
Later operations
Over the years, the DACOWITS charter expanded, enabling the committee to submit numerous recommendations to the SecDef. The majority of proposals were either fully or partially implemented. DACOWITS made significant contributions on topics including the opening of closed positions to women; improvements to the health of deployed servicewomen; increased marketing, accession, and recruitment of women; and increased parental leave authorizations.Membership
Committee members included leaders with diverse, inclusive, and varied backgrounds from academia, industry, private and public sectors, and other professions. Membership selection was on the basis of experience with the military or with women-related workforce issues. Members were appointed for a 4-year term of service, served without compensation, and performed a variety of duties, which included: visiting military installations; conducting a review and evaluation of research on women; and developing a comprehensive annual report with recommendations for consideration by the Secretary of Defense. Of note, Committee members were appointed to serve as independent advisors, not as official representatives of any group or organization with which they were affiliated.Reports and recommendations
DACOWITS gathered information from multiple sources, including briefings and written responses from DoD, Service-level military representatives, and subject matter experts. The committee collected qualitative data from focus groups and interactions with Service members representing the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard during installation visits. Additionally, the committee examined peer-reviewed literature. Based upon the data collected and analyzed, the committee submitted recommendations and continuing concerns to the SecDef.Service liaisons and other defense points of contact
In accordance with Department of Defense Instruction 5105.04, “Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committee Management Program,” dated August 6, 2007, and Deputy Secretary of Defense memorandum, “Advisory Committee Management,” dated November 26, 2018, the Military Services designated a Service Liaison to DACOWITS. Service Liaisons attended each DACOWITS quarterly business meeting for the entire duration of the public meeting; responded to all DACOWITS requests for information; and ensured the information provided to DACOWITS received appropriate security reviews prior to the release of any public disclosure of information. Other Defense points of contact were designated through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.Committee chairs
Recommendations
DACOWITS’ recommendations addressed a variety of topics and subtopics throughout the years. The table below lists the most common topics of concern the committee addressed.| Themes & subthemes | Description |
| Benefits and entitlements | Benefits, salary, or entitlements received by current or former Service members |
| Base allowance for quarters | Housing allowances |
| Housing | Housing on or off base for Service members |
| Tricare | Healthcare for service members |
| Career progression | Career progression of a Service member, including career planning and trajectories, transitions and/or assistance related to assignments and placements, and leadership development |
| Deployment | Transitions related to deployments |
| Reintegration | Transitions related to reintegration after returning from deployments |
| Pregnancy status | Transitions related to pregnancy status |
| Transition between Active and Reserve Components | Transitions related to members of the Reserve or Guard moving to active duty status or active duty Service members moving to the Reserve or Guard |
| Veterans | Transitions related to separating from the U.S. military and moving to veteran status; also includes general recommendations related to veterans |
| Promotion and/or career advancement | Career advancement, promotion criteria, and performance evaluations |
| Enlistment | Standards or practices used around enlistment |
| Leadership development and representation | Initiatives for leadership or mentoring development, including both individual members of the U.S. military and the Military Services’ leadership as a whole ; also includes diversity initiatives for underrepresented leaders, including at the executive/advisory board level |
| Communication and/or dissemination | Communication or dissemination of information from the branches or DoD to Service members and/or civilians; for example, “increase effective communication” |
| Education and/or training | Education or training |
| Basic training | Basic or recruit training |
| Military Service Academies | Education and trainings conducted at MSAs |
| Youth programming | Education and trainings for children younger than 18 |
| Reserve Officers' Training Corps | ROTC or Junior ROTC programs |
| New training or conferences | Creation and/or implementation of new trainings or organization of conferences |
| Modifications to existing training or conferences | Expanding or modifying existing trainings or conferences |
| Family support | Policies aimed at supporting families and their dependents |
| Child care | Child care |
| Domestic abuse | Domestic abuse |
| Dual-military couples | Spouses who both are current Service members; includes co-location policies for such couples |
| Family leave policies | Parental or family leave policies that allow Service members to take leave when having/adopting a child |
| Sabbaticals | Sabbatical programs that allow Service members to take leave to pursue other areas of life |
| Gender equality and integration | Equalizing standards or guidelines for genders, including integrating women into previously closed positions or units, and barriers preventing full integration; also includes utilization OR increasing the number/percentage of women in underrepresented fields |
| Women in combat | Integrating women into previously closed combat positions |
| Gender bias | Gender bias or sexism involving any prejudice or stereotyping based on gender or sex |
| Physical fitness standards | Completion, implementation, and components of physical fitness tests or the discussion of physical fitness test requirements; body specifications, measurements and scales, and physical ability requirements deemed necessary for adequate job performance |
| Uniforms and equipment | Uniforms and equipment used by female Service members |
| Reserve and Guard components | Reserve or Guard, specifically |
| Internal to DACOWITS | DACOWITS processes or the dissemination of information pertaining to DACOWITS |
| Marketing and recruitment | Media or programs specifically designed to promote a given entity or related to the recruitment of female Service members |
| Portrayal of female Service members in media | Depiction and representation of female Service members in the media |
| Retention | Female attrition and retention |
| Sexual harassment and sexual assault | Both sexual harassment and sexual assault |
| Sexual harassment | Related to sexual harassment, but not sexual assault |
| Sexual assault | Related to sexual assault, but not sexual harassment |
| Unit culture and morale | Unit culture or morale |
| Women's health and well-being | Women's health, including reproductive health |
| Breastfeeding and lactation | Breastfeeding and lactation policies, programs, or support |
| Mental health | Mental health, including drug or alcohol abuse and posttraumatic stress |
| Pregnancy | Pregnancy, including postpartum |