{ "id": "R42075", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R42075", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 457615, "date": "2016-12-13", "retrieved": "2016-12-22T16:32:17.343216", "title": "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress", "summary": "Over the past two decades of conflict, women have served with valor and continue to serve on combat aircraft, naval vessels, and in support of ground combat operations. The expansion of roles for women in the Armed Forces has evolved since the early days of the military when women were restricted by law and policy from serving in certain occupations and units. Women have not been precluded by law from serving in any military unit or occupational specialty since 1993 when Congress repealed the remaining prohibitions on women serving on combatant aircraft and vessels. However, Department of Defense (DOD) policies have prevented women from being assigned to units below brigade level where the unit\u2019s primary mission was to engage directly in ground combat. This policy barred women from serving in infantry, artillery, armor, combat engineers, and special operations units of battalion size or smaller. On January 24, 2013, then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta rescinded the rule that restricted women from serving in combat units and directed the military departments and services to review their occupational standards and assignment policies and to make recommendations for opening all combat roles to women no later than January 1, 2016. \nOn December 3, 2015, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter ordered the military to open all combat jobs to women with no exceptions. This most recent policy change followed extensive studies that were completed by the military departments and by the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) on issues such as unit cohesion, women\u2019s health, equipment, facilities modifications, propensity to serve, and international experiences with women in combat. These studies also included a review and validation of gender-neutral occupational standards for combat roles where such standards existed. \nOn March 10, 2016, Secretary Carter announced that the Services\u2019 and SOCOM\u2019s implementation plans for the integration of women into direct ground combat roles were approved. Some concerns about the implementation of the new policy remain, including the recruitment, assignment, and career management of women into the new roles, and the impact of integration on unit readiness. Congress has oversight authority in these matters, and may also consider issues such as equal opportunity, equal responsibility (such as selective service registration), and the overall manpower needs of the military.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42075", "sha1": "f93340431fb00b18652f718e970ed3b0c47b0636", "filename": "files/20161213_R42075_f93340431fb00b18652f718e970ed3b0c47b0636.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42075", "sha1": "c527c9c77c7c129bd4f5de0c8c974f3a39474466", "filename": "files/20161213_R42075_c527c9c77c7c129bd4f5de0c8c974f3a39474466.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4872, "name": "Military Personnel, Compensation, & Health Care" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 447755, "date": "2015-12-03", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T17:48:36.837516", "title": "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress", "summary": "Over the past two decades of conflict, women have served with valor and continue to serve on combat aircraft, naval vessels, and in support of ground combat operations. The expansion of roles for women in the Armed Forces has evolved since the early days of the military when women were restricted by law and policy from serving in certain occupations and units. Women are not precluded by law from serving in any military unit or occupational specialty. However, a 1994 Department of Defense (DOD) policy prevented women from being assigned to units below brigade level where the unit\u2019s primary mission was to engage directly in ground combat. This policy barred women from serving in infantry, artillery, armor, combat engineers, and special operations units of battalion size or smaller. On January 24, 2013, then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta rescinded the rule that restricted women from serving in combat units and directed the military departments to review their occupational standards and assignment policies for implementation no later than January 1, 2016. \nOn December 3, 2015, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter ordered the military to open all combat jobs to women with no exceptions. This most recent policy change followed extensive studies that were completed by the military departments and by the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) on issues such as unit cohesion, women\u2019s health, equipment, facilities modifications, propensity to serve, and international experiences with women in combat. By law (10 U.S.C.652), the Secretary of Defense is required to report to Congress on any proposed changes that would open any units or positions that were previously closed to women. The Secretary\u2019s report is required to include justification for the proposed change and analysis of the implications for the Military Selective Service Act. Congress then has a 30-day period for the review of the justification for the changes and to consider the implications of this decision prior to the implementation of the policy.\nThose in favor of keeping restrictions on women in combat units cite physiological differences between men and women that could potentially affect military readiness and unit effectiveness. Some also argue that social and cultural barriers exist to the successful integration of women into combat occupations and all-male units. Those who advocate for opening all military occupations to women emphasize equal rights and argue it is more difficult for servicemembers to advance to top-ranking positions in the armed services without combat experience. In their view, modern weapons have equalized the potential for women in combat since wars are less likely to be fought on a hand-to-hand basis. In this regard, properly trained women would be able to perform successfully in combat and exempting them from serving in combat is unfair to men.\nWith the cancellation of the policy banning women from serving in combat units, some have questioned whether current occupational standards for entry into these units should be kept in place or modified. Proponents of change maintain that the existing standards are artificially high, and act as a de facto exclusionary barrier to the entry of women into combat occupations. Defenders of the current standards view any reductions to the existing standards as potentially damaging to military readiness. \nCongress has established requirements, definitions, and criteria for the development and application of \u201cgender-neutral\u201d occupational standards, and has oversight of all DOD decisions in this matter. Congress may also consider additional issues including equal opportunity, equal responsibility (such as selective service registration), readiness and cohesion, effectiveness, and the overall manpower needs of the military.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42075", "sha1": "8067da337343d8fdf3c71f05797ed4267fd71f9f", "filename": "files/20151203_R42075_8067da337343d8fdf3c71f05797ed4267fd71f9f.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42075", "sha1": "23ecc339ed8a27e83a7624ad094f5eb734d8e151", "filename": "files/20151203_R42075_23ecc339ed8a27e83a7624ad094f5eb734d8e151.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 229, "name": "Military Personnel and Compensation" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4531, "name": "Defense Authorization" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc743572/", "id": "R42075_2015Sep01", "date": "2015-09-01", "retrieved": "2015-10-20T21:35:54", "title": "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report looks at the history of women in US military roles and combat since the 1990s. It also discusses critic's views of exclusionary policy as a civil rights issue. Over the past two decades of conflict, women have served with valor and continue to serve on combat aircraft, naval vessels, and in support of ground combat operations. The expansion of roles for women in the armed forces has evolved since the early days of the military when women were restricted by law and policy from serving in certain occupations and units.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150901_R42075_1fbf44d568253ca4bbdae04cb66dce344082f34d.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150901_R42075_1fbf44d568253ca4bbdae04cb66dce344082f34d.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Military policy -- U.S.", "name": "Military policy -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Women soldiers", "name": "Women soldiers" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc743387/", "id": "R42075_2015Aug18", "date": "2015-08-18", "retrieved": "2015-10-20T21:35:54", "title": "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report looks at the history of women in U.S. military roles and combat, and discusses key policy issues for Congress to consider including \"gender-neutral\" standards and selective service.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150818_R42075_aa9bff3759dc3b77000636cc5cdc5cb22f1de225.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150818_R42075_aa9bff3759dc3b77000636cc5cdc5cb22f1de225.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Women", "name": "Women" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Military policy -- U.S.", "name": "Military policy -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Women soldiers", "name": "Women soldiers" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700843/", "id": "R42075_2015Jul14", "date": "2015-07-14", "retrieved": "2015-08-27T16:20:31", "title": "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report looks at the history of women in US military roles and combat since the 1990's. It also discusses critic's views of exclusionary policy as a civil rights issue.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150714_R42075_11626768921daba696ca753cc3bef352159a6a0e.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150714_R42075_11626768921daba696ca753cc3bef352159a6a0e.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Women", "name": "Women" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Military policy -- U.S.", "name": "Military policy -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Women soldiers", "name": "Women soldiers" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc463218/", "id": "R42075_2013May09", "date": "2013-05-09", "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41", "title": "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report looks at the history of women in US military roles and combat since the 1990's. It also discusses critic's views of exclusionary policy as a civil rights issue.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130509_R42075_56c5e62bca4cc5492ac99df887b6b62b80720241.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130509_R42075_56c5e62bca4cc5492ac99df887b6b62b80720241.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Women", "name": "Women" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Military policy -- U.S.", "name": "Military policy -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Women soldiers", "name": "Women soldiers" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc812561/", "id": "R42075_2012Dec13", "date": "2012-12-13", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20121213_R42075_4519af25404ea66894b12c6b0f242b656c86f212.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20121213_R42075_4519af25404ea66894b12c6b0f242b656c86f212.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc83997/", "id": "R42075_2012Apr05", "date": "2012-04-05", "retrieved": "2012-04-27T15:49:45", "title": "Women in Combat: Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report looks at the history of women in US military roles and combat since the 1990's. 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