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Women in special operations : improvements to policy, data, and assessments needed to better understand and address career barriers : report to congressional requesters

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Summary

Women have historically held critical roles in the military. However, women make up less than 10 percent of SOCOM service members, compared with about 19 percent DOD-wide. SOCOM leaders have acknow...

Women have historically held critical roles in the military. However, women make up less than 10 percent of SOCOM service members, compared with about 19 percent DOD-wide. SOCOM leaders have acknowledged existing issues of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and assault, and career impediments, and the need to do more. This report examines, among other issues, the extent to which (1) DOD has developed policies to prevent and respond to such incidents involving SOCOM service members, (2) SOCOM has access to data on these incidents, and (3) DOD and SOCOM have identified and addressed barriers that may impact the careers of women in SOF. GAO is making eight recommendations, including that the military services revise their policies for incidents in joint environments to align with DOD policy, DOD establish a collaborative process for SOCOM to access data, DOD clarify oversight and use of the annual assessments, and DOD complete a comprehensive analysis of barriers to women in SOF.

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