I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1928 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to repeal the ground combat exclusion 

policy for female members of the Armed Forces. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 13, 2011 

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to repeal the ground 

combat exclusion policy for female members of the 

Armed Forces. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Fair and 

5 Equal Right to Military Service Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) 260,457 female members of the Armed 

9 Forces have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, OpVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:58 May 26, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1928.IH H1928

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1 eration Enduring Freedom, or Operation New 

2 Dawn. 

3 (2) 25,099 female members of the Armed 

4 Forces are currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

5 (3) Women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are 

6 not excluded from providing support to combat units 

7 or other frontline units. 

8 (4) As of April 1, 2011, 137 female members 

9 of the Armed Forces have been killed in Iraq or Af10 ghanistan, and, of the women killed, over 60 were 

11 killed in combat. 

12 (5) More than 1,300 female members of the 

13 Armed Forces have been wounded in action, of 

14 which 758 were wounded in hostile action. 

15 (6) The current nature of war has changed in 

16 Iraq and Afghanistan and, despite the prohibition on 

17 female members of the Armed Forces serving in 

18 combat, so has the role of female members of the 

19 Armed Forces. 

20 (7) Women are increasingly attached to combat 

21 units and engaging in frontline roles despite the cur22 rent ground combat exclusion policy. 

23 (8) Female members of the Armed Forces are 

24 engaging in direct combat without receiving ade25 quate combat training due to the current ground 


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1 combat exclusion policy described in current section 

2 652 of title 10, United States Code. 

3 (9) The Secretaries of the military departments 

4 should be given the authorization to assign an eligi5 ble member of an armed force under the jurisdiction 

6 of that Secretary to a unit of that armed force based 

7 on the needs of the unit, regardless of the member’s 

8 gender. 

9 (10) Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has 

10 stated that women have been serving in combat al11 ready and female members of the Armed Services 

12 have expressed that because they’re not in a combat 

13 military occupational specialty, they haven’t had 

14 combat training, but they’re on a combat patrol. 

15 (b) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this Act are— 

16 (1) to ensure that modern military combat poli17 cies reflect the current operational environment of 

18 the combat operations; and 

19 (2) to raise the profile of the recognition that 

20 female members of the Armed Forces should receive 

21 for their service, particularly when it involves their 

22 contribution with regard to direct combat operations. 


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1 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF GROUND COMBAT EXCLUSION POLICY 

2 FOR FEMALE MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 

3 FORCES. 

4 (a) REPEAL.— 

5 (1) REPEAL.—Section 652 of title 10, United 

6 States Code, is repealed. 

7 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec8 tions at the beginning of chapter 37 of such title is 

9 amended by striking the item relating to section 

10 652. 

11 (b) REVISION OF CURRENT MILITARY PERSONNEL

12 POLICIES.— 

13 (1) REVISION.—The Secretary of Defense shall 

14 revise the military personnel policies of the Depart15 ment of Defense and the military departments so 

16 that such policies do not restrict members of the 

17 Armed Forces from assignment to units and posi18 tions based on gender. 

19 (2) NOTICE AND WAIT.—Any change in a mili20 tary personnel policy that would exclude based on 

21 gender shall not take effect until— 

22 (A) the Secretary of Defense submits to 

23 the Committees on Armed Services of the Sen24 ate and House of Representatives a notice of 

25 the intent to make the change; and 


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1 (B) a period of 30 legislative days has ex2 pired following the date on which the notice is 

3 received by the committees. 

4 (3) LEGISLATIVE DAY DEFINED.—In this sub5 section, term ‘‘legislative day’’ means a day on which 

6 either House of Congress is in session. 

Æ 


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