Women in Combat

Are you a woman who wants to serve in a combat arms unit?

The ACLU has long fought for the rights of women service members. For decades, the ACLU has worked to end the combat exclusion policies that prevent women from serving alongside their fellow servicemen, fought to obtain justice for victims of military sexual assault, advocated for coverage of abortion care, and shone a light on the inferior care received by female veterans.

In December 2012, the ACLU sued the Department of Defense, challenging the combat exclusion policy. Three years later, in December 2015, the Department of Defense ordered women’s integration into all jobs and specialties “with no exceptions.” But despite that directive, some “exceptions” still remain. And for that reason, our lawsuit is still pending.

We’d like to hear from you if you:

Want to serve in a combat arms unit of the Army, Marines, or National Guard but are being prevented from doing so;
Are currently serving and have been prevented from completing officer training;
Are currently serving and have been denied properly-fitting body armor or other gear;
Have enlisted in the Marines and don’t want to attend segregated basic training; or
Know a woman who has experienced one or more of the obstacles identified above.

Thanks for telling your story.

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1) Name

2) Military service branch, training school, and/or rank, if applicable.

4) What is your city and state of residence? If stationed overseas, where are you?

5) Please tell us your story. Do you want to serve in a combat arms unit or attend a combat arms school or training program? Have you encountered barriers to doing so? Please describe.

6) If you are willing to be contacted by the ACLU Women’s Rights Project for further follow-up, what is the best way to contact you?

Please provide e-mail address, phone number, mailing address, and/or other contact information. If you would prefer to contact us first, you can call the Women’s Rights Project at (212) 549-2664 or e-mail us at womensrights@aclu.org.

7) E-mail Address:

To learn more about the ACLU's work on women in combat, please go here.

This survey does not give legal advice. Do not rely on information you get from this site. We encourage you to speak to a lawyer to get advice on your specific situation. We cannot promise that information on this site is complete, accurate, or up-to-date.

This survey is not a solicitation or an offer by the ACLU to represent you. We cannot promise that the information you provide will lead to any specific action on the ACLU’s part. Once you complete the survey, the ACLU may not do anything, including contact you, about your situation.

If you fill out this survey, you agree that the ACLU, any of its state affiliates, or a coalition partner, may use the information you give us, as long as we don’t include your name, address, e-mail address, or phone number, for one of the following purposes: (1) legislative testimony, (2) litigation, (3) contacting a city, state, or federal agency, or (4) telling your story to the public, including the media. If the ACLU, its state affiliates, or one of its coalition partners wants to disclose your name or other identifying information, we will contact you prior to doing so.

We will keep your name, telephone number, address, e-mail address, and any other identifying information confidential unless you give us permission to use it or unless we are ordered to turn it over by a court, although we will attempt to prevent any disclosure.

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