War Secretary Pete Hegseth has terminated a 74-year-old military advisory committee for women as it harms America’s combat capabilities, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a Sept. 23 post on X.
“Secretary Hegseth has decided to terminate the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services,” Wilson said. “The Committee is focused on advancing a divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness, while Secretary Hegseth has focused on advancing uniform, sex-neutral standards across the Department.”
The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) was established in 1951 to advise on strategies for boosting female recruitment into the U.S. military during the Korean War, according to the committee website.
The committee states that since its inception, it “has submitted over 1,100 recommendations to the Secretary of War for consideration. As of 2025, approximately 94 percent have been either fully or partially adopted.”
According to a December 2020 report published by DACOWITS, the committee has put forward several recommendations over the past decades, including “integrating women into previously closed positions or units,” boosting the number or percentage of women in underrepresented fields, and other gender equality measures.
The committee has also made recommendations on the portrayal of female service members in media, such as in television, print, radio, and video.
In its 2023 annual report, DACOWITS raised concerns about the Supreme Court striking down the Roe v. Wade ruling in 2022, questioning the department on matters regarding abortion and contraception.
The termination of DACOWITS has attracted criticism.
“Absolutely disgusting. DACOWITS was formed in 1951 to support the increase and success of women in the Armed Forces. We cannot field a fighting force without women. Period. These children are destroying our military with their stupid sexist games,” Fred Wellman, who runs the “On Democracy with FPWellman” podcast, said in a Sept. 24 X post.
Hegseth shared a post from the DOW Rapid Response account on X, dismissing claims that the termination of DACOWITS amounted to him eliminating a pathway that encouraged women to join the military.
“FACT CHECK: Wrong. We axed the committee that is focused on advancing a divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness. We are cleansing the Department of wokeness,” the post stated.
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