Hegseth To Axe Committee Due to Feminist Agenda

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

War Secretary Pete Hegseth has terminated a 74-year-old military advisory committee for women as it harms America’s combat capabilities, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a Sept. 23 post on X.

“Secretary Hegseth has decided to terminate the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services,” Wilson said.

“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.”

The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) was established in 1951 to advise on strategies for boosting female recruitment into the U.S. military during the Korean War, according to the committee website.

The committee states that since its inception, it “has submitted over 1,100 recommendations to the Secretary of War for consideration. As of 2025, approximately 94 percent have been either fully or partially adopted.”

According to a December 2020 report published by DACOWITS, the committee has put forward several recommendations over the past decades, including “integrating women into previously closed positions or units,” boosting the number or percentage of women in underrepresented fields, and other gender equality measures.

The committee has also made recommendations on the portrayal of female service members in media, such as in television, print, radio, and video.

In its 2023 annual report, DACOWITS raised concerns about the Supreme Court striking down the Roe v. Wade ruling in 2022, questioning the department on matters regarding abortion and contraception.

The termination of DACOWITS has attracted criticism.

“Absolutely disgusting. DACOWITS was formed in 1951 to support the increase and success of women in the Armed Forces. We cannot field a fighting force without women. Period. These children are destroying our military with their stupid sexist games,” Fred Wellman, who runs the “On Democracy with FPWellman” podcast, said in a Sept. 24 X post.

Hegseth shared a post from the DOW Rapid Response account on X, dismissing claims that the termination of DACOWITS amounted to him eliminating a pathway that encouraged women to join the military.

“FACT CHECK: 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,” the post stated.

Revamping the US Military

In April, Hegseth announced action against the Women, Peace & Security (WPS) program inside the Department of Defense, according to an April 29 X post.

WPS is a United Nations resolution that called on nations to address the impacts conflicts have on women and girls, according to a U.N. Development Programme handbook. It also asked to systematically include females in peacebuilding efforts.

“WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops—distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING,” Hegseth wrote.

“WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it.”

The department will execute “the minimum of WPS required by statute, and fight to end the program for our next budget. GOOD RIDDANCE WPS!” he added.

Under the Trump administration, there has been a growing focus on revamping the military.

The department is focusing on three key initiatives—reestablishing deterrence, rebuilding the military, and restoring warrior ethos, Hegseth said in a July 20 post on X.

This includes reevaluating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

“The results so far? Distractions like DEI, [critical race theory], social justice, politically correct stuff—gone,” Hegseth said. “Focus on standards that are high, gender neutral, equal, and unwavering. We’ve got unprecedented recruitment numbers.”

He also said his department was looking to restructure current promotion systems to ensure that those who engage in military and combat operations get top posts.

Another military rule change was announced by the U.S. Army in a Sept. 10 statement, which exempted all soldiers from body fat standards as long as they score at least 465 points on the new Army Fitness Test.

“This is a welcome continuation of our previous policy under the former Army Combat Fitness Test,” Sgt. Maj. Christopher Stevens said. “It rewards Soldiers who consistently demonstrate high levels of fitness, which supports readiness, health, and creates a culture that values performance.”