Rise of Military Women

Category: Uncategorized

  • Lifted Ban on Women in Combat (Combat Exclusion Policy)

    Background 2013: On January 24, 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey rescinded this policy following a unanimous recommendation by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  2015. On December 3, after a review period, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced that…

  • Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act: 2010

    Background 2000-2008: By the late 2000s, momentum built for repeal: 2008: Barack Obama campaigned on repealing DADT 2010: Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen testified before Congress in support of repealing the law. Gates established the Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG), which conducted one of…

  • Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act: 1994

    Background 1993: Public Law 103-160 (10 U.S.C. §654), signed November 30, 1993, mandates “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), a new policy for all individuals on military service. The policy emerged as a compromise after President Clinton encountered opposition to his campaign promise to end the military ban on homosexuals.  1993:…

  • Rescinded the “Risk Rule”: 1994

    Background 1988: The Department of Defense policy that extended women’s combat exclusion to bar their participation in any non-combat unit where the risks of exposure to combat were equal to or greater than the combat units they supported.  1991: Congress establishes the Commission on the Assignment of Women in the…

  • Disbanding of the Women’s Army Corps (1978)

    Background 1943. Public Law 689 establishes the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) as the successor to the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), which had been created in 1942. The WAC enabled women to serve in several capacities, including clerical, administrative, and support roles. with full military status in the U.S. Army. …

  • Pregnant Women Allowed to Stay in Military (1976)

    Background 1951: Executive Order No. 10,240, 16 Fed. Reg. 3689. Harry Truman signed Executive Order 10,240, which authorized involuntary discharge for pregnant women or women who became parents. 1972. Struck v. Secretary of Defense (U.S. Supreme Court case mooted 1972). Air Force Captain Susan Struck, a nurse serving in Vietnam,…

  • Women Admitted into Military Academies (1975)

    Background 1975. On October 7, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-106 (89 Stat. 531). The law allowed women to be admitted to the all-male military colleges. 1976. On July 7, 1976, 119 women became the first women to join the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military…

  • Allowed Women to Command Units that Included Men (1972)

    Key Related Policy Changes  In 1972, the U.S. military lifted its ban on women commanding units that included men. This policy change occurred alongside Secretary of the Army Robert F. Froehlke’s approval in August 1972 to open all military occupational specialties to women (except those requiring combat training or duty).…

  • Air Force ROTC Allows Women (1969-1970)

    The Air Force led all military branches in incorporating women into ROTC, beginning with a trial basis in 1969 and rapidly expanding by 1970 due to overwhelming positive response and increasing demand for female officers. Early History Modern Integration Legislative Context References Primary Legal Sources Johnson, L. B. (1967, November…

  • Public Law 90-130 (1967): Resources on Women’s Promotion to Flag Officer Ranks

    Key Facts References Primary Legal Sources Johnson, L. B. (1967, November 8). Remarks upon signing bill providing equal opportunity in promotions for women in the armed forces. The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-upon-signing-bill-providing-equal-opportunity-promotions-for-women-the-armed U.S. Congress. (1967). Public law 90-130: An act to remove certain restrictions on…