Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Women’s History Month 2021 Statement

In recognition of Women’s History Month, the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division reflects on and honors the accomplishments that women have made, and continue to make, to our Nation’s Armed Forces.  Starting with the Revolutionary War, women have served our country’s military as soldiers, intelligence officers, nurses, engineers, and pilots, among many other positions. Today, more than 224,000 women serve in the active-duty military; women veterans comprise nearly 10% of the total veteran population. Female servicemembers have faced unique challenges throughout history, fighting for all of our freedoms, while simultaneously seeking their own equal rights and opportunities.

Female members of the Armed Forces have continued to make significant achievements in defense of our country as their representation amongst the leadership ranks grows. In July 2020, the Air Force became the first U.S. military branch to select a woman, Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne Bass, to serve as its highest-ranking noncommissioned officer. Midshipman Sydney Barber recently became the first African-American woman to achieve the top role of brigade commander at the U.S. Naval Academy, where she will lead 4,500 midshipmen. And last spring, Second  Lieutenant Anmol Narang, a nuclear engineer, became the first observant Sikh to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy. We look forward to the contributions of future female military leaders as this year we celebrate the 40^th anniversary of our first female service academy graduates and, thanks to the landmark decision in United States v. Virginia, 518 U.S. 515 (1996) (a suit brought by the Department of Justice challenging an admission policy that discriminated on the basis of sex), the 20^th anniversary of the first class of female graduates from a public military college.

The Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative (SVI), a part of the Civil Rights Division, advocates for the fair treatment of former and current military members by building a comprehensive legal support and protection network focused on serving servicemembers, veterans, and their families. The Civil Rights Division enforces certain laws that protect the rights of servicemembers, including those affecting their employment, housing, financial, voting, and disability rights. The Initiative builds upon this critical enforcement work, as well as the work of other Department components that serve the military community, by sharing information, identifying servicemember and veteran needs, and coordinating the distribution of resources. The Department of Justice, including the Civil Rights Division and SVI, is proud of the many contributions that women have made to our country’s military.  We remain committed to ensuring that those who wish to serve are not prevented from doing so on the basis of their sex sexual orientation, or gender identity.  If you have any questions about SVI’s work or have a concern specific to the rights of servicemembers, please visit our website at https://www.servicemembers.gov.