The Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is terminating the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services, which the Department of War said promotes a “divisive feminist agenda” that negatively impacts the U.S. military’s readiness.
Military Times reported that a memorandum signed by Hegseth last week and obtained by the outlet directs the Pentagon to complete the “formal disestablishment” of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.
“After further review, I have determined that the reinstatement of the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services (DACOWITS) should not proceed,” Hegseth stated. “The Department’s Advisory Committee Management Officer will terminate the DACOWITS in accordance with the requirements of [the Federal Advisory Committee Act].
“In addition, the DACOWITS Sponsor will take appropriate action to realign resources associated with the DACOWITS, such as the reassignment of personnel, conclusion of contracts, and the archiving of DACOWITS’ records,” the secretary of war added.
According to Military Times, Hegseth had previously signed a memorandum earlier this month to initiate a phased return to service of the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services. The outlet noted that the memorandum, which was signed on September 8, came after 40 advisory groups had been paused by the Pentagon.
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The Daily Signal reported that the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services cost the Department of War $1,128,000 in 2023 and 2024. The outlet noted that the cost of the committee included $643,000 in labor and $485,000 in various expenses.
According to The Daily Signal, while the Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services was created after the Women’s Armed Service Integration Act was passed in 1948 to provide advice on the recruitment of female service members, many critics have claimed that the committee now concentrates on pushing a “feminist agenda.”
In a Tuesday statement on X, formerly Twitter, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson confirmed that Hegseth “decided to terminate the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.”
Kingsley added, “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.”
Sharing Kingsley’s post on his social media page, Hegseth tweeted, “Gender neutral, color blind, merit based.”
In response to claims from the media that the Pentagon is eliminating a committee that encourages women to join the U.S. military, the Department of War’s Rapid Response account wrote, “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.”
