Hirono, Duckworth, Colleagues Introduce WARRIOR Act to Codify Women’s Right to Serve in Combat

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services (SASC), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led 19 of their Democratic colleagues in the Senate in introducing the Women Add Resourcefulness and Resilience to Improve Operational Readiness (WARRIOR) Act, legislation reinforcing the principle that the U.S. military has always relied upon: standards must be based on the demands of the job, not gender. This legislation is critical for maintaining rigorous, gender-neutral standards, especially in light of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to order a study examining "the effectiveness of women in combat jobs," despite there being no evidence that the presence of women in combat units lowers standards. If passed, the WARRIOR Act would codify the commonsense DOD policy that ensures every service member is evaluated on validated and merit-based standards.

"From blocking the promotions of qualified servicewomen to ordering an unnecessary study re-examining what a decade of service has already proven, it's clear that Secretary Hegseth is more interested in attacking women service members than he is in protecting the security of our nation. Building and maintaining the strongest military in the world depends on giving every qualified servicemember a fair chance to meet the required standards to serve our country," said Senator Hirono. "This commonsense legislation honors the service of thousands of women who have served in combat roles with distinction, while strengthening our military by ensuring that every qualified service member is judged by their ability, not their gender."

"Our nation would never be ready for battle without our brave women in uniform who have earned their place in our military," said Senator Duckworth. "For all his bluster about meritocracy, Pete Hegseth continues to find slimy ways to push out warriors who have earned their right to serve. This threatens morale and readiness at every level. We must curb this Administration's moronic agenda against our women in uniform by requiring gender-neutral standards that are scientifically rigorous and prohibiting gender-based exclusion in our Armed Forces, before our military is weakened any further."

The WARRIOR Act updates outdated provisions of federal law to align with current DOD policy that ensures military occupational standards are based on validated requirements of the job and applied equally to all qualified service members. This bill codifies what more than two decades of experience has already proven: maintaining rigorous, gender-neutral standards strengthens our military readiness.

Despite this long-standing tradition of merit-based promotions and standards, recent reporting revealed that Secretary Hegseth blocked the promotions of seven senior Navy officers, five of whom are women or people of color. Secretary Hegseth's unprecedented decision to overrule the promotion board means that for the first time in more than a decade, no female active-duty naval officers are likely to be promoted to admiral this year, officials said. These actions underscore the need for statutory protections to ensure that qualified service members are evaluated on merit, rather than gender.

Specifically, the WARRIOR Act reinforces merit-based standards in our Armed Forces by:

1. Establishing a clear, statutory prohibition on excluding any service member from a military occupational specialty, career field, or assignment based on gender;
2. Removing outdated language limiting protections to roles already "open to both male and female members," ensuring all positions are covered;
3. Mandating that military occupational standards reflect the actual requirements of the job, including technical, tactical, cognitive, physical abilities, and requiring standards to be developed through a scientifically rigorous process;
4. Expanding congressional review of proposed changes, including costs, data, and rationale, and extending the review period to 180 days and requiring the Department of Defense to submit annual reports to Congress including
   1. Changes to occupational standards
   2. Data on involuntary reassignments and separations
   3. Justifications for personnel decisions;
5. Requiring that service members in good standing have at least 18 months to meet any new or revised standard and incorporating input from DoD medical and research experts, and;
6. Mandating submission to Congress of the full, unredacted study on combat unit effectiveness ordered by the Secretary of Defense in December and requiring a follow-up review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

In addition to Senators Hirono and Duckworth, the WARRIOR Act was cosponsored by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NY), John Fetterman (D-PA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

"Those who defend our freedoms deserve and must receive fair treatment," said Senator Gillibrand. "The WARRIOR Act prevents the unjust exclusion of women from combat roles in our armed forces and establishes objective standards that will improve military readiness. I am proud to support this important legislation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to honor the sacrifice that women service members have made for our country."

"Arbitrarily blocking women from serving in combat roles hurts our military readiness and makes Americans less safe. We should be opening doors to anyone who meets our already high standards to serve - that's what keeps our military strong," said Senator Warren.

"Time and time again, Secretary Hegseth has proven that he is willing to jeopardize our nation's security to promote his extreme ideology and deny qualified servicemembers the roles they have earned. Our servicewomen are essential to our nation's military strength and readiness and must be given the same opportunity to serve as everyone else," said Senator Rosen. "The WARRIOR Act ensures that every single servicemember is judged not by their gender, but by their ability to meet the merit-based standards that are the bedrock of our military effectiveness."

"Women have long been integral to our status as the world's strongest military. Questioning their effectiveness with unnecessary studies or dismissing qualified female officers undermines readiness and weakens national security," said Senator Kelly. "This bill preserves gender-neutral standards and ensures any changes are driven by evidence and mission requirements, not politics."

"Our fighting force is stronger when any American - regardless of their gender - can meet the toughest military standards in the world. With Pete Hegseth at the helm of the Department of Defense, it's critical that we send a clear mission that no position should be off limits solely based on gender," said Senator Shaheen.

"If we want to ensure our military remains the greatest in the world, it is absolutely critical that we pass the WARRIOR Act so that every service member is evaluated based on the demands of the job, not on their gender," said Senator Alsobrooks.

"Instead of unifying to celebrate our many strengths and celebrating the diversity of our servicemembers, the Trump Administration and Secretary Hegseth are focused on undermining women in our military. Ensuring that the United States military reflects the talents of all Americans and supports women servicemembers is critical to its strength and success. This legislation reinforces the long-held principle that every service member must be judged on merit-based standards, not partisan metrics or gender," said Senator Van Hollen.

"Pete Hegseth has denigrated the role of women in the military in ways that are completely detached from the reality of the meaningful contributions of women servicemembers. As Secretary of Defense, he is stripping women's roles in the military and stalling women servicemembers' promotions. The contributions of our women servicemembers, their courage, and the immense sacrifices they make to keep us safe should never be demeaned," said Senator Murray. "I am proud to lead this legislation alongside my colleagues to make it clear that servicemembers should be evaluated on merit-based standards, not their gender. And I want to send a strong message to every woman who bravely serves our nation: we stand with you, we celebrate you, and our country is forever grateful for your service."

"Our military should judge every service member by their ability, not their gender," said Senator Hickenlooper. "The more than 5,000 women who have served our nation with distinction in combat have shown that every qualified American who meets the appropriate standards deserves the opportunity to serve. This bill ensures this administration can't play politics with the careers of the service members who risk their lives to keep Americans safe."

"Anyone with the will to serve their country and the ability to do the job shouldn't be shut out of combat units due to their gender," said Senator Wyden. "Pete Hegseth has made no secret of his contempt for women and transgender servicemembers. That's why Congress must pass the WARRIOR Act-to protect the fact that every qualified servicemember should be judged by merit, not by chauvinistic and outdated perceptions of gender roles."

The WARRIOR ACT is endorsed by the: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), Minority Veterans of America, Women in Service Coalition Inc. (WiSCI), National Women's Law Center Action Fund, Former JAGs Working Group, Vet Voice Foundation.

"Women play critical roles across the U.S. military, including in ground combat arms, and are integral to our miliary readiness. Removing qualified women from these roles would disrupt units, damage morale, gut retention and recruiting, and send an anti-women message with far-reaching impact across the force. WiSCI supports the WARRIOR Act to ensure that changes in personnel policy are based on evidence of impact to combat capability and not bias," said Brenda S. "Sue" Fulton, Executive Director WiSCI: Women in the Service Coalition, Inc.

"Service members have been meeting rigorous, job-specific standards for decades, particularly in operational and combat roles where requirements are tied to mission demands. This legislation affirms that service members must meet the standards required to succeed in today's military and recognizes that excellence is defined by skill, performance, and ability, not gender," said Lindsay Church, Executive Director of Minority Veterans of America. "Military readiness is best ensured by allowing every qualified person the opportunity to serve in any role, including in combat."

"Women serve an invaluable role in our military, displaying courage, skill, and commitment. Our national security and today's military readiness, recruitment and retention depend on the many women serving their country in the military, including in combat," said Gaylynn Burroughs, Vice President for Education and Workplace Justice at NWLC AF. "But as this administration has made clear, too often their role is undermined and even attacked. The WARRIOR Act reinforces that individuals should be judged on individual merit and ability, not gender-based stereotypes. The bill recognizes the important role of women in the military by prohibiting any exclusions from military occupational specialties or assignments because of gender. We thank Senators Hirono and Duckworth for taking action and introducing this timely and important legislation."

"The end of the discriminatory direct ground combat exclusion policy in 2013 and the opening of all jobs and units in 2016 was long overdue and much heralded. This change finally actualized the fundamental principles of meritocracy and skill that guide our institutions, rejecting policy premised on stereotypes and ideology," said Mike Zamore, National Director of Policy and Government Affairs, ACLU. "For the past decade, service women have continuously met the standards and excelled in ground combat roles - all of which is now at risk. We applaud Sen. Hirono and Sen. Duckworth for introducing the WARRIOR Act. The legislation bars exclusions based on gender and authorizes congressional oversight of changes that may undermine the integration of women in combat roles. We urge all Members of Congress to support this legislation."

Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Maggy Goodlander (D-NH), Gil Cisneros (D-Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Maggy Goodlander (D-NH), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Derek Tran (D-CA).

To read the full text of the legislation, click here.

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"Our fighting force is stronger when any American - regardless of their gender - can meet the toughest military standards in the world. With Pete Hegseth at the helm of the Department of Defense, it's critical that we send a clear message that no position should be off-limits solely based on gender," said Senator Shaheen.

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