Hegseth disbands 74-year-old Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, citing 'divisive feminist agenda'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally disbanded the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) on September 23, 2025, ending a Pentagon advisory panel established in 1951. A Pentagon spokesperson justified the termination by stating the committee "is focused on advancing a divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness." The disbanding was carried out pursuant to a disestablishment memo Hegseth signed on September 17.