Advisory panel on women in service
hearing new twists on familiar problems
By Jennifer H. Svan and Carlos Bongioanni, Stars and Stripes
As a Defense Department committee tours Pacific bases talking to female servicemembers,
they are hearing many of the same issues and concerns often raised in the States.
But the same issues on foreign soil, "have a different twist," said Vickie
McCall, chairwoman of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.
For instance, life overseas can reduce family support, she said. Troops often
don’t have family members nearby to lean on in times of trouble and may feel
isolated. And then there’s the cultural differences that lie outside the gate, adding
to the sense of isolation.
DACOWITS’ 10 executive committee members are meeting with thousands of
servicemembers on a 13-base Pacific tour in Alaska, Korea, Japan and Okinawa that was
scheduled to end Sunday.
McCall said the issues raised are important because women now represent 15 percent of
the armed services.
"We can’t accomplish the mission without women," she said.
"We’re integral for the success of all the services.
"It’s terribly important that we bring them into the military service and
give them productive, worthwhile careers and that they enjoy the same quality of life as
their male counterparts."
For 50 years, the Defense Department has been monitoring women’s issues in the
military. In that time, DACOWITS has successfully lobbied for a number of significant
changes. Among them: the opening of military academies to women; the expansion of health
care; and the assurance of parity and opportunities assured equality for women outside
traditional administrative career fields, McCall said.
Fifty years ago, female servicemembers didn’t have housing or spousal benefits,
and health care was poor. They were not allowed to marry, and if they did marry, they
faced courts-martial. When they were given the right to marry, their spouses did not have
commissary or exchange benefits.
Women in the military have traveled a "hard road," McCall said. But, she
noted, DACOWITS has made huge strides in furthering the integration of women over the past
half-century.
And the organization is still working hard.
Established in 1951, the committee is composed of civilian men and women appointed by
the secretary of defense. They provide recommendations on how to utilize women in the
services and on quality-of-life issues that have an impact on women’s mission
readiness.
The full group meets twice a year in the States, and the executive committee makes
alternate two-week visits every year to the Pacific and European theaters. In the past,
its recommendations have effected changes to laws and policies to military women, McCall
said.
"DACOWITS serves as the eyes and ears for the secretary of defense," McCall
said.
Information from men is critical, said McCall because they work alongside women and
"we need to hear their perspective too. … We need to know where the men are
coming from, and what are their frustrations and concerns. … What makes life good for
a woman also has impact and significance for men."
The meetings were not open to the media, as the troops are promised complete
confidentiality with no fear of retribution, to encourage them to talk, McCall said.
They were asked two questions.
"If you had a few minutes with the secretary of defense, what would you want to
tell him?" McCall said.
"The second question is usually just, ‘How’s it going?’"
McCall would not discuss specific concerns raised, but she saidchild care has been a
big issue on this overseas tour. She also citedthe cost-of-living overseas, the
military’s cost-of-living allowance for foreign-based troopsand whether
servicemembers have enough resources to do their job as other concerns.
DACOWITS recommended improvements in child care to the defense secretary this spring.
Specific concerns included expanding child-care hours, increasing the number of facilities
and improving provider compensation and benefits. They also worked at programs to meet the
Department of Defense goal of providing 65 percent of the child care demand by fiscal
2003.
In addition to child care, DACOWITS is concerned about education, housing, healthcare,
and pay and benefits, McCall said. It also aims to ensure that women are given the same
promotion and career opportunities as their male counterparts.
That said, DACOWITS doesn’t approach the servicemembers with an agenda, McCall
said.
"This is their time to talk. We just want to capture their thoughts," she
said.
While on this tour, committee members are hoping to find clues as to why military women
have a higher attrition rate than men.
"We don’t know why," said McCall. "We’ve looked at all the
statistics, and they’re not equal. … Until we get our arms around it, we
won’t know why the numbers are not in balance."
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