Defend The Legacy Of Women Who Fought And Bled For This Nation

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For seventy years women strengthened Americas defense through sacrifice and service yet their voices are being silenced. Keep our military strong. Take action for women in the military!

Defend The Legacy Of Women Who Fought And Bled For This Nation

For more than seventy years, the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) ensured that women’s voices were heard in shaping military policy. From opening service academies to women in 1976 to pressing for body armor that actually fits female troops, the committee helped build a force that could draw on the full range of America’s talent. About 94% of its recommendations were adopted in whole or in part, driving reforms that made the military stronger1. That record is now being discarded.

Women Have Earned Their Place

Women make up nearly one in five active-duty service members today. They have commanded warships, led troops in combat, and gathered critical intelligence in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have paid the ultimate price for their country. Veterans like Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs in Iraq, stand as proof that women are integral to the defense of this nation. Erasing their voices from leadership and advisory roles dismisses these sacrifices2.

A False Claim of “Readiness”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shut down DACOWITS in September 2025, calling it a “divisive feminist agenda” that undermined combat readiness3. Yet the facts tell another story. The committee was designed to improve readiness by addressing real-world problems: retention gaps, health impacts of deployment on women, reintegration after childbirth, and the challenges of integrating women onto submarines. Far from hurting the force, DACOWITS improved it4.

A Pattern of Exclusion

The committee’s termination is part of a wider rollback. Hegseth has already shut down the Pentagon’s Women, Peace, and Security program, dismissed diversity efforts, and questioned the role of women in combat5. These actions strip away decades of bipartisan progress that gave women the tools to serve fully and lead effectively. Every service member, regardless of gender, loses when the military sidelines proven mechanisms for identifying and fixing problems.

Take Action Now

America’s security depends on drawing from the best this country offers. Eliminating DACOWITS and purging women from leadership is not a plan for strength—it is a path to weakness. Our veterans and active-duty service members deserve respect and policies that reflect reality, not ideology. The Secretary of Defense must restore DACOWITS, protect women’s leadership roles, and recommit to a military where every capable American has the opportunity to serve. Add your name to call for action now.

More on this issue:

  1. Hope Hodge Seck, Military Times (23 September 2025), "Hegseth terminates women’s advisory group, slams ‘divisive agenda’."
  2. Rachel Leingang, The Guardian (23 September 2025), "Hegseth dissolves women’s military committee over ‘divisive feminist agenda’."
  3. Ellen Mitchell, The Hill (23 September 2025), "Hegseth axes decades-old advisory committee on women in the military."
  4. Paul McLeary, POLITICO (23 September 2025), "Hegseth axes panel that encourages women to enter military."
  5. Mike Bedigan, The Independent (23 September 2025), "Hegseth shutters group that encourages women in the military as part of his anti-DEI push."

The Petition

To The United States Secretary of Defense,

We, the undersigned, speak as citizens, veterans, families, and allies who believe the strength of America’s armed forces depends on respecting and including the contributions of every service member. Women have long proven their valor, resilience, and leadership in uniform. From the nurses who saved lives under fire in Korea, to Senator Tammy Duckworth who lost her legs in Iraq, to today’s female officers commanding ships, squadrons, and battalions, women have given their country everything that could be asked.

These stories are not rare exceptions. They are part of a larger truth: women now comprise nearly one in five active-duty troops. They operate in combat zones, lead critical cyber operations, and serve as intelligence officers, pilots, and medics. Their sacrifices are measured in deployments missed with families, medals earned in battle, and lives risked in service to the nation. They deserve more than rhetoric dismissing their place in the military. They deserve respect, opportunity, and structures that ensure their service makes our forces stronger.

That is why the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) was indispensable. For over seven decades, it documented the lived experiences of servicewomen and recommended solutions that improved readiness for the entire force. Its work gave rise to policies expanding access to service academies, integrating combat roles, and ensuring equipment fit every body serving. With more than 90 percent of its 1,100 recommendations adopted in some form, DACOWITS proved its worth not as a “divisive agenda,” but as a readiness multiplier.

Just as important are women in military leadership positions. Their perspectives shape a culture that recognizes talent wherever it lies. When women command ships or lead units in combat, they prove daily that inclusion is not charity—it is a strategic necessity. Removing their voices or sidelining their experience diminishes the military’s ability to adapt, innovate, and win.

We call on you to restore DACOWITS, halt the purge of women from senior ranks, and affirm that women’s service is essential to national defense. To erase their role is to weaken the very institution charged with keeping us safe.

By honoring the service of women and ensuring their voices are heard, the Department of Defense will secure a stronger, more resilient future—for our military, our veterans, and for every American who depends on their protection.

Sincerely,

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