The Pentagon has initiated a six-month review concerning the effectiveness of women serving in ground combat positions. This review aims to assess the operational impact of several thousand female soldiers and Marines integrated into infantry, armor, and artillery units.
Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel Anthony Tata outlined the review in a memo last month. The effort seeks to determine the "operational effectiveness of ground combat units 10 years after the Department lifted all remaining restrictions on women serving in combat roles."
Tata requested data from Army and Marine leaders on readiness, training, performance, casualties, and command climate within ground combat units. The services are required to provide points of contact to the Institute for Defense Analyses by January 15th. The memo specifies that the data should include "all available metrics describing that individual's readiness and ability to deploy (including physical, medical, and other measures of ability to deploy.)" The memo also requests any internal, non-public research on "the integration of women in combat."
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson stated in an email that the study's purpose is to "ensure standards are met and the United States maintains the most lethal military." Wilson further indicated that "standards for combat arms positions will be elite uniform, and sex neutral... Under Secretary (Pete) Hegseth, the Department of War will not compromise standards to satisfy quotas or an ideological agenda."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, previously expressed opposition to women in ground combat units. In a November 2024 podcast, he stated, "We should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective. Hasn't made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated." During his confirmation hearing, Hegseth adjusted his public position, stating women could serve in combat roles provided they met the same standards as men.
In a September address at Marine Base Quantico, Hegseth declared that women must meet the "highest male standard." He advocated for a return to original physical standards in any role where they were altered, particularly since 2015, to accommodate female qualification. He stated that physical standards for combat jobs must be high and gender-neutral. Hegseth clarified that while not intending to bar women from combat jobs, a result where no women qualify for some positions "could be the result."
Currently, women constitute a small percentage of soldiers in Army combat units, with approximately 3,800 serving in infantry, armor, and artillery roles. Over 150 women have completed Ranger training, and around 10 have passed Green Beret training. The Marine Corps has approximately 700 female personnel in these ground combat jobs. In all these roles, women are required to meet the same standards as their male counterparts.
Ellen Haring, a senior research fellow at Women in International Security and a retired Army colonel, characterized the review as an effort to exclude women from ground combat, stating it aligns with Hegseth's historical views on the matter.
Khris Fuhr, another West Point graduate who previously worked on gender integration for the Army Forces Command, noted that an Army study conducted between 2018 and 2023 indicated positive performance by women in ground combat units, with some achieving higher scores than male soldiers. Fuhr described the upcoming Pentagon study as "a solution for a problem that doesn't exist."
In 2015, then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced the admission of women to all ground combat positions. Carter stated that excluding half the population from these roles was illogical and that women, if qualified and meeting standards, would contribute to the mission. This decision faced opposition, particularly from the Marine Corps. Then-Joint Chiefs Chairman General Joe Dunford did not attend the press conference but issued a statement confirming his responsibility to implement the decision.
A 2015 Marine Corps training exercise in the Mojave Desert found that gender-integrated units were slower, less lethal, and more susceptible to injury compared to all-male units. Marine officers also posited that integrating women could increase risk and potential combat casualties. Secretary Carter countered these findings, pointing out that the study did not sufficiently focus on individual achievement. Advocates for women in combat also argued that the exercise overlooked the performance of high-achieving women in these roles.