Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) 2009 Report

摘要

The Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) was established in 1951 with the mandate to provide the Department of Defense (DoD) with advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to the recruitment and retention, treatment, employment, integration, and well-being of highly qualified professional women in the Armed Forces. Under the current charter, in place since 2002, the Committee also provides advice and recommendations on family issues related to the recruitment and retention of a highly qualified professional military. The individuals who comprise the Committee are appointed by the Secretary of Defense to serve in a voluntary capacity for three-year terms. The DACOWITS charter authorizes the Committee to advise the DoD through the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) (PDUSD (P&R)). Each year, the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary frames for the Committee the salient concerns related to the integration of military women and family issues in the Armed Forces. Based on this guidance, the Committee then selects a specific topic (or topics) to investigate. These topics form the basis of the Committees research activities for the year and for the annual report they provide to the Secretary of Defense. With this guidance in mind, and based on a series of briefings provided by DoD and other proponents, the Committee chose to examine two topics during the 2009 research cycle: Women in Combat - The Utilization of Women in the Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Theatres of Operations, and Support for Families of Wounded Warriors.