In a move that feels like a step backward in time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has completely shut down a nearly century-old committee dedicated to expanding the role of women in the military. This isn’t just a minor administrative shuffle; it’s a direct blow to a group that has existed since 1951, created by former Defense Secretary George C. Marshall under President Harry Truman to increase the number of female service members and open up new career fields for them.
The committee, known as the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, was one of many groups that provided guidance to the secretary. Hegseth has axed it as part of his “warrior ethos” vision for the department, per Politico. This isn’t the first time he’s taken such an action; he has also shut down a program that aimed to boost the number of women in peace-building and conflict prevention efforts, labeling it “woke” and “divisive.”
