ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

After a commandwide survey found widespread gender bias and sexual harassment, Army Special Operations Command is working on dozens of initiatives to better care for the women serving in its formations.

“Humans are more important than hardware, and anything that makes the individual [special operations] operator better … that’s our solemn responsibility,” said Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of Army Special Operations Command.

Leaders should do more to better understand and address the barriers faced by women serving in special operations roles, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

While women account for nearly one-fifth of service members across DoD, they make up less than 10% of U.S. Special Operations Command troops, according to the GAO report. 

The House of Representatives has passed an amendment to the 2023 defense policy bill declaring it was a mistake to force women to leave the military during pregnancy.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, the first woman to serve as the Army’s top civilian leader, said she hopes to continue setting an example for women in the service. 

“I hope by setting an example of what's possible as a woman in the Army, [that] that will hopefully inspire and motivate younger women in the Army who are just beginning their careers,” Wormuth said during the Army Women’s Foundation Leadership Symposium at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2021 Annual Meeting and Exposition. 

The Military Women’s Memorial is asking women who have served in the Army to register the details of their service in the organization’s digital database.

Approaching its 25th anniversary, the Military Women’s Memorial is located at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery, and it is the only national memorial that honors the service of military women.

But the growing database is an online platform that is accessible from anywhere in the world.

During her Senate confirmation hearing to be the next commander of U.S. Southern Command, Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson said she would ensure the U.S. remains the “partner of choice in the Western Hemisphere” through persistent engagement with allies and partners.

The Association of the U.S. Army hosted four Army veterans who’ve gone beyond the call of service to make sure women’s voices—and their experiences on the front lines—are heard.

“The images of war have been those of men,” Diane Carlson Evans, a former captain in the Army Nurse Corps and founder of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project, said March 24 during a panel as part of AUSA’s Thought Leaders webinar series.

Four women, all of them authors and veterans, will discuss the experiences of women in the Army during a webinar hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

The event, part of the Thought Leaders series, will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern March 24. It is free, but registration is required here.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville defended the role played by women in the military, saying he has served with many during his 39 years of service, including in combat. 

His comments come after a cable television host claimed changes in grooming standards and uniforms to accommodate women in the ranks was making “a mockery of the U.S. military.”