WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Tammy Duckworth, Mazie Hirono, and Mark Kelly, along with 13 of their Democratic colleagues, introduced the Women Add Resourcefulness and Resilience to Improve Operational Readiness (WARRIOR) Act, to codify the commonsense Department of Defense policy that ensures every service member is evaluated on validated and merit-based standards.
“Our military should judge every service member by their ability, not their gender,” said Hickenlooper. “The thousands of 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.”
“Our nation would never be ready for battle without our brave women in uniform who have earned their place in our military,” said 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.”
“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 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.”
“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 Kelly. “This bill preserves gender-neutral standards and ensures any changes are driven by evidence and mission requirements, not politics.”
The WARRIOR Act updates outdated provisions of federal law, codifying what more than two decades of experience has already proven: maintaining rigorous, gender-neutral standards strengthens our military readiness.
Despite the 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. For the first time in more than a decade, no female active-duty naval officers are likely to be promoted to admiral this year. 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:
- Establishing a clear, statutory prohibition on excluding any service member from a military occupational specialty, career field, or assignment based on gender;
- Removing outdated language limiting protections to roles already “open to both male and female members,” ensuring all positions are covered;
- Mandating that military occupational standards reflect the actual requirements of the job;
- Expanding congressional review of proposed changes and requiring the Department of Defense to submit annual reports to Congress including:
- Changes to occupational standards,
- Data on involuntary reassignments and separations, and
- Justifications for personnel decisions;
- 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 expert
- Mandating submission to Congress of the full, unredacted study on combat unit; and effectiveness ordered by the Secretary of Defense in December and requiring a follow-up review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
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.
See what national leaders are saying in support of the legislation:
“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 play critical roles across the U.S. military, including in ground combat arms, and are integral to our military 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.
“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. 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.”
“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.”
Full text of the bill can be found HERE.
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