Women's Equality Day: Senate defense bill advances women’s equality in society and inclusion in the military

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 16:22:43 -0400

In time for the nation to mark Women’s Equality Day on Aug. 26, the Senate Armed Services Committee last month approved a fiscal 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that would make groundbreaking policy shifts toward greater equality of women in society and inclusion in the U.S. armed forces.

The $777.9 billion bill would, among other provisions, require for the first time that women register for the selective service; move the prosecution of sexual assault and serious crimes out of the military chain of command; direct the military to adopt body composition standards based on “health science”; and expand service member benefits in areas such as child care, health care, parental leave and reproductive screening.

The measure, which authorizes $740.3 billion in spending for the Department of Defense (DOD) and $27.7 billion for national security agencies, must next be approved by full Senate and eventually reconciled with any House-passed measure.

The full House Armed Services Committee begins deliberations on its bill (H.R. 4350) on Sept. 1. Final passage of the NDAA typically occurs by the Oct. 1 start of the federal fiscal year.

The final contents of the legislation remain to be seen, of course. But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, who chairs the panel’s personnel subcommittee, said the committee-passed provisions are “historic victories,” adding: “These monumental programs and provisions are now on their way to becoming law.”

Serving since the nation’s founding

If these provisions pass as part of the NDAA, historians may likely consider them important milestones in the evolution of women’s service in the U.S. military.

That service dates back to the Revolutionary War, according to the June 5, 2019, Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, “Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services: Background and Issues for Congress.”

However, it was not until 1901 that women could serve in uniform. They did so as part of the Army Nurse Corps and, a few years later, in the Navy Nurse Corps.

Though women later served abroad in World War I field hospitals, the publication noted, they were ineligible for retirement or Veterans’ benefits.

More than 350,000 women served in World War II, according to CRS, including nearly 1,100 who trained as aviators as part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The WASP transported, tested and delivered planes for repair, according to an Army webpage, “Women in the Army.” With many exclusions, Congress made women part of military services in the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, CRS noted.

Over successive decades, according to CRS, female participation in the U.S. armed forces grew steadily. This is attributed in part to the equal rights movement, which takes hold from 1963 through 1980, when Congress passes laws banning gender discrimination in the civilian workplace and ending restrictions and limitations on female military service. This time coincides with the end of the Vietnam War and the draft and, in 1973, the establishment of the all-volunteer force.

Women’s service further expands during the 1990s. In the post-Sept. 11, 2001, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, still more women serve in combat roles. In 2015, DOD formalized the full integration of women in the armed forces, including into all combat roles.

Today, females make up nearly 17.4% of the active duty force. According to recent DOD data, of the 1,349,826 individuals serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, 234,685 are women.

Requiring women to sign up to be drafted

Even though every military service role is now open to women, they’ve never been required to register for selective service, otherwise known as the draft. (All males age 18-26 must register.) This would change under the Senate committee-passed version of the NDAA, which would amend the Military Selective Service Act to require female registration at age 18.

It’s unclear if female military service rates would be impacted one way or another if they’re required to sign up to be drafted if Congress reinstates one in the future. It would equalize among the genders the (currently theoretical) risk of being conscripted into military service.

The Senate committee-passed provision follows a recommendation issued last March by the congressionally established National Commission on Military, National and Public Service.

Debra Wada, who served as the commission’s vice chair for military service, told RallyPoint in May that the commission came to this conclusion after finding that women applicants for military service qualify at about the same rate as men. The military, she said, shouldn’t mobilize for a crisis without the skillsets of roughly half its population.

Prosecuting sexual assault and serious crimes

Another major component of the Senate committee’s NDAA is the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act, a much-debated bill to move the prosecution of sexual assault and serious crimes out of the military’s chain of command to independent military prosecutors.

The Senate panel measure also contains recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military. These include requiring the military and National Guard to use a data-based prevention infrastructure to combat sexual assault and harassment, to use sexual harassment and assault metrics as a part of readiness tracking and reporting, and to remove the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Program from the chain of command.

Other provisions in the Senate committee-passed NDAA include:

Child care. Asks DOD to address the lack of access to military child care and requires DOD to review and provide a briefing on health and safety violations at installation child development centers.

Health care. Authorizes coverage of preconception and prenatal carrier screening tests for some medical conditions under TRICARE, encourages DOD to implement a point-of-care ultrasound system in tactical combat casualty environments and directs DOD to add more virtual and telehealth options for families.

Paid parental leave. Includes up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for both primary and secondary caregivers for births, adoptions or long-term foster placement of a child; allows more flexibility in the DOD Career Intermission Program; and permits two weeks of bereavement leave.

Pay increase. Provides a 2.7% pay raise for service members and DOD personnel.

Learn more

Read Gillibrand’s statement on inclusion of NDAA provisions: https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press?PageNum_rs=2&.

Read the Senate committee’s summary of its NDAA legislation: https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/press-releases/-sasc-completes-markup-of-fiscal-year-2022-national-defense-authorization-act.

Read RallyPoint’s May 17 article, “Congress, court weigh requiring females to register for the draft”: https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/congress-court-weigh-requiring-females-to-register-for-the-draft.

Visit the House NDAA webpage: https://armedservices.house.gov/ndaa.

Press Releases | Kirsten Gillibrand | U.S. Senator for New York

The official website of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Proud to serve New York in the United States Senate.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Aug 26 at 2021 4:25 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 16:25:12 -0400

Thank you for the excellent share ma'am, will pass this on to Facebook Maj Private RallyPoint Member

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 26 at 2021 5:24 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 17:24:24 -0400

"The $777.9 billion bill would, among other provisions, require for the first time that women register for the selective service; move the prosecution of sexual assault and serious crimes out of the military chain of command; direct the military to adopt body composition standards based on “health science”; and expand service member benefits in areas such as child care, health care, parental leave and reproductive screening."

If this all passes - this sounds great! Nothing to argue with here at all.

Child Care: we - need - 24 hour - daycares.

Response by SGT Steven Wade made Aug 26 at 2021 11:02 PM

SGT Steven Wade — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 23:02:35 -0400

Guess they can be fighting the rest if the battles too

Response by LCDR Claire S. made Aug 27 at 2021 11:53 AM

LCDR Claire S. — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 11:53:22 -0400

It is great to see continued improvement in the status of women in the military. When I joined, women could not serve onboard ships, go into combat, and were limited to 10% of the force. Women were not yet allowed in the Service Academies.

My career was negatively impacted by the opinion of my boss (father of three) when my husband and I became pregnant, as he told me I should choose whether I wanted a family or a career (apparently HE didn't have to choose). He personally blocked an award I had been recommended for.

I did experience shipboard duty (twice), including once after my son was born. The "Boys Club" in the '70s and '80s included a lot of behaviors that would end careers today but were accepted as normal then. Women today don't see that, but things ARE improving, not only through Congress, but in society and the workplace in general. Things continue to look up!

Response by PFC David Foster made Aug 27 at 2021 3:20 PM

PFC David Foster — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 15:20:47 -0400

I'm all for having women in the military and equal pay, but I personally think we should draw the line at Combat Arms positions. I just don't think it is morally right for women to die fighting in wars. I am not suggesting that they cannot do the job as well as a man, if not better. I have always been taught not to hurt woman or to overpower them with superior physical attributes.

Response by TSgt George Austin made Aug 28 at 2021 3:39 PM

TSgt George Austin — Sat, 28 Aug 2021 15:39:30 -0400

This is certainly a grand topic for today's woke military. Looks like all this diversity did little good in Kabul.

Response by SFC Linda Clipp made Aug 30 at 2021 7:44 PM

SFC Linda Clipp — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 19:44:54 -0400

You KNOW it, by GOD.

Response by SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM made Aug 30 at 2021 7:47 PM

SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 19:47:16 -0400

This is a huge step in the right direction.

Response by Cpl John Parr made Aug 31 at 2021 10:15 PM

Cpl John Parr — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 22:15:20 -0400

There's something unsettling about drafting women. Something like peoples or nations that need their women to fight have already lost. I think that was in the Landmark Thucydides.

Response by PO2 Y. C. made Sep 1 at 2021 6:59 PM

PO2 Y. C. — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:59:33 -0400

12 weeks sound great... I had only 4 weeks... But that's okay... The times... I too, was told to get out of the Navy I chose to stay...

Response by MSG Thomas Currie made Sep 5 at 2021 11:50 AM

MSG Thomas Currie — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 11:50:18 -0400

I absolutely support equality for women in the military. It's just too bad that so many women don't support equality.

Response by A1C Michelle Pagan made Sep 8 at 2021 2:19 AM

A1C Michelle Pagan — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 02:19:32 -0400

I have always highly recommended to women and men to enlist in the military. To me, the military has treated me fairly. It was a challenging job from basic training onward. It can take you to heights that are the beyond no matter if career military or not. The mentality and discipline are both highly respected if the individual is true. Those who hire veterans respect the discipline they display; so no matter what, a veteran is sought after by employers for their military training. It is a good something that follows you for the rest of your life. So for women, this is awesome. Military experience is a plus and takes them a step forward in front of everyone else.

Response by SSG Chris Gursky made Sep 16 at 2021 8:23 AM

SSG Chris Gursky — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 08:23:28 -0400

Women’s equality? So, can someone explain why they are now allowing biological men to play in women’s sports?

Response by CW3 Susan Burkholder made Sep 19 at 2021 7:36 AM

CW3 Susan Burkholder — Sun, 19 Sep 2021 07:36:01 -0400

Thanks for posting this. A refreshing piece of information on RP which all too often only offers up peoples opinions. Great to see improvements in women's equality and learn some history about how women have been treated in their past service.

Response by CPO Arthur Weinberger made Nov 23 at 2021 6:20 PM

CPO Arthur Weinberger — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 18:20:24 -0500

Let us hope this is defeated. Veterans should be treated equally. This bill will give them more benefits than males; another injustice.