Bennet Joins Legislation to Codify Women’s Right to Serve in Combat

Aug 19, 2026 | Press Releases

Denver - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined the Women Add Resourcefulness and Resilience to Improve Operational Readiness (WARRIOR) Act, legislation led by Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IlI.), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. This legislation reinforces the principle upon which the U.S. military relies: standards must be based on the demands of the job, not gender. Maintaining rigorous, gender-neutral standards is particularly critical in light of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's decision to order a study examining "the effectiveness of women in combat jobs," despite there being no evidence that the presence of women in combat units lowers standards.

"Our military's strength is rooted in the selfless sacrifice and bravery of all troops in all roles," said Bennet. "To ensure that our Armed Forces maintain readiness, it is critical that decisions on qualification be based on gender-neutral and scientifically-based standards, not sexist partisanship. This legislation will ensure those who answer the call to service, regardless of their gender, are judged on performance and ability, not Hegseth's regressive biases."

"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."

"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."

The WARRIOR Act updates outdated provisions of federal law to ensure that military occupational standards are based on validated requirements of the job and applied equally to all qualified service members. This bill codifies what more than two decades of experience has already proven: maintaining rigorous, gender-neutral standards strengthens our military readiness.

Despite this long-standing tradition of merit-based promotions and standards, recent reporting revealed that Hegseth blocked the promotions of seven senior Navy officers, five of whom are women or people of color. Hegseth's unprecedented decision to overrule the promotion board means that for the first time in more than a decade, no female active-duty naval officers are likely to be promoted to admiral this year, officials said. 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:

1. Establishing a clear, statutory prohibition on excluding any service member from a military occupational specialty, career field, or assignment based on gender;
2. Removing outdated language limiting protections to roles already "open to both male and female members," ensuring all positions are covered;
3. Mandating that military occupational standards reflect the actual requirements of the job, including technical, tactical, cognitive, physical abilities, and requiring standards to be developed through a scientifically rigorous process;
4. Expanding congressional review of proposed changes, including costs, data, and rationale, and extending the review period to 180 days and requiring the Department of Defense to submit annual reports to Congress including

1. Changes to occupational standards
2. Data on involuntary reassignments and separations
3. Justifications for personnel decisions;

1. 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 experts, and;
2. Mandating submission to Congress of the full, unredacted study on combat unit 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.

Bennet long has advocated for the U.S. Armed Forces occupation standards to be made on the basis of job requirements and on the merit of our servicemembers, not race, gender, or sexuality. In January 2025, Bennet joined Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), as well as 19 Senate colleagues on a resolution honoring the service of women in combat roles in the U.S. Armed Forces. In April 2023, Bennet wrote an opinion article to shed light on the many challenges that women servicemembers face. In December 2015, Bennet issued a statement following former DoD Secretary Ash Carter's announcement that all combat positions would be open to women. In January 2023, Bennet welcomed the decision by the DoD to remove the ban on women serving in direct combat.

In addition to Bennet, Hirono, and Duckworth, Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.Y.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.) cosponsored this legislation.

Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Maggy Goodlander (D-N.H.), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), and Derek Tran (D-Calif.).

The text of the bill is available HERE.

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