Women’s Critical Role in the U.S. Military:
Celebrating the 76th Anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948

From disguising themselves as men to fight on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War, to the “Rosie the Riveter” women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, women have long been essential to our country’s national security. June 12, 2024, marked the 76th anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, which granted women the right to serve as permanent, regular members of the U.S. military. While this historic legislation still held restrictions on women’s service, it opened the door for women to serve as members of the armed forces, and their role in defending our country has grown tremendously in the years since.

Notable policy changes in the military over the past 10 years have also improved the ability for women to advance professionally within the military system, including the end of the combat exclusion rule in 2016. In recent years, we’ve seen new milestones for women in the military—the first female Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti who is also the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the first female Army Rangers, Captain Kristen Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver who both graduated in 2015; and the first women to train and graduate from Marine Corps recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, to name a few.

Women’s service is critical for our national defense and is a key component for sustaining the all-volunteer force in the 21st century. As the nature of conflicts and battlefields evolve, diverse talent and teams become even more important.

Below, I outline three ways in which women serve mission-critical functions towards our national defense:
  • 1

    Combat Operations: In the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, the adversary blended into the non-combatant population knowing U.S. troops would not harm civilians. Women in Lioness or Female Engagement Teams were much more effective engaging women and children on patrols alongside combat units, providing critical mission support.  

  • 2

    Intelligence: U.S. operations in both friendly and hostile environments rely on the synthesis and distribution of intelligence, which relies on a diverse set of perspectives to analyze complex problem sets. Women from all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds bring needed skills, perspectives, and intelligence to these operations.  

  • 3

    Recruitment and Sustaining the Force: Even as the military has downsized and experienced a recent recruiting crisis, the percentage of women in the military continues to rise. Women currently comprise 17.5 percent of the active duty personnel and 21.6 percent of the Guard and Reserve components. Recent studies show that approximately 77 percent of Americans do not qualify for military service without a waiver. With an increasing number of women in the military and the decreasing eligibility of American youth fit for service, changes to policy, uniform, and equipment to better support women will only strengthen our ability to recruit and retain the best, sharpening our fighting force. 

As much progress as there has been over the last several decades for women in the military, we must ensure it continues. I recently had the honor of sharing insights from my work on women in the military at the Valkyrie Project’s 2024 Military Women’s Symposium. In the presentation, I outlined three areas of both progress and continued opportunity for policy improvement. Over the past five years, I have dedicated much of my work to identifying and understanding policy-relevant issues for women in the military so they can focus on the mission. I have conducted extensive research for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS), a study for the Marine Corps on gender integration at recruit training and serving as a senior advisor to the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO). In addition, I’ve spoken with my female friends and co-workers who are currently serving or are Veterans about their experiences and perspectives from their military service. Our work at A-G Associates, including our Military, Veteran, and Family Center of Excellence (MVF-COE), supports women in the military by providing leaders and those working with these populations important information to make data-informed decisions. A-G remains committed to continuing work to support current and future generations of women in the military.

About the Author

Sidra Montgomery is a principal researcher at A-G Associates with over a decade of experience conducting social science research on issues affecting military personnel, veterans, and their families. Her work has been featured in national news outlets, such as NPR, and has contributed to recent changes in policy and practice for military personnel at both the DoD- and Service-level. She is the recipient of the Eastern Sociological Society’s 2024 Public Sociology Award, which recognized the broad impact of her research. She received her PhD in Sociology from the University of Maryland.