Hegseth Terminates 74-Year-Old Women's Military Advisory Committee, Citing 'Divisive Feminist Agenda'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally disestablished the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS), a 74-year-old panel established in 1951 following the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act. In a September 17 memo, Hegseth accused the committee of ‘advancing a divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness’ despite the panel having submitted over 1,000 recommendations since its creation, 94% of which were fully or partially implemented as of 2025. The committee had provided expert advice on recruiting and retaining women in the military during the Korean War through present day. This represents ideological purging of professional military expertise and institutional memory, eliminating independent oversight of policies affecting women service members while advancing Hegseth’s agenda to reverse gender integration progress in the armed forces.