Key Facts
- Date Signed: 1951
- Signed by: Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall
- Purpose: Provide independent advice and recommendations on matters relating to recruitment, retention, employment, integration, well-being, and treatment of women in the Armed Forces
- Membership: Civilian men and women appointed by the Secretary of Defense for 4-year terms
- Track Record: Submitted over 1,100 recommendations since 1951; approximately 94-98% adoption rate (full or partial)
- Status: Terminated September 2025 by Secretary Pete Hegseth
- Notable Original Members: Oveta Culp Hobby, Mildred McAfee Horton, Ruth Streeter, Helen Hayes, Sarah G. Blanding, Lillian Gilbreth, Beatrice Gould
References
Official Government Sources
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. (n.d.). Reports. U.S. Department of Defense. https://dacowits.defense.gov/Reports/
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. (2014). Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) 1951-2014: 63 years of DACOWITS. Defense Technical Information Center. https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA618110
Federal Register. (2024, August 5). Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services; notice of Federal Advisory Committee meeting. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/08/05/2024-17247/defense-advisory-committee-on-women-in-the-services-notice-of-federal-advisory-committee-meeting
Library Archives
Library of Congress. (2010). Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) [Web archive]. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0026578/
Congressional and Legislative Resources
Houlahan, C. (2025, May 30). Pentagon aims to cut 14 defense advisory boards, including DACOWITS. U.S. House of Representatives. https://houlahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4559
News Articles and Analysis
Kamarck, K. (2025, May 30). Pentagon aims to cut 14 defense advisory boards, including DACOWITS. Military Times. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2025/05/30/defense-advisory-boards-including-dacowits-to-shutter-in-dod-purge/
Kamarck, K., & Weed, M. (2025, September 23). Hegseth terminates women’s advisory group, slams ‘divisive agenda’. Military Times. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2025/09/23/hegseth-terminates-womens-advisory-group-slams-divisive-agenda/
Russell, M. (2025, September). Pentagon silences DACOWITS and risks the force women built. GreaterGood. https://greatergood.com/blogs/news/women-military-dacowits
Wilson, M. (2025, September 23). Hegseth axes decades-old advisory committee on women in the military. The Hill. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5518114-pete-hegseth-advisory-committee-women-military/
Reference Works
Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. (2025). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Department_Advisory_Committee_on_Women_in_the_Services
Think Tank Publications
Spencer, J. (2001). Time to review the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/defense/report/time-review-the-defense-advisory-committee-women-theservices