SWAN Issues Letter to Secretary of Defense Regarding DACOWITS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
9 July 2021
PRESS CONTACT:
Victoria Moore
SWAN Issues Letter to Secretary of Defense Regarding DACOWITS
SWANs Fight to Prevent the Dismantling of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services
Washington D.C. –– The Service Women’s Action Network's (SWAN) CEO, Deshauna Barber, issued a letter to Secretary of Defense on July 7, 2021 appealing for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) to be preserved. The contents of the letter can be read below and the original letter is attached.
The Honorable Lloyd Austin
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon Washington D.C. 20301-1000
Subj: DACOWITS
Dear Secretary Austin,
As an organization with over a decade of dedication and commitment to the well-being of servicewomen and women veterans, we are deeply concerned about the possibility of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) being dismantled. Now is precisely the wrong time to abolish the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). It should remain as a stand-alone Defense Advisory Committee (DAC) over the following years as the Independent Review Commission (IRC) recommendations are first translated into law and policy and then implemented by the Services. DACOWITS is in a unique position to provide insight to you and your staff during this process because it can gather data and anecdotes on how the implementation of IRC recommendations are received and understood at the unit level, at the command level, and the policy level of each service. No other source can provide this vital direct-from-field feedback to you and your staff. It’s a perspective necessary to realizing the significant legal and profound cultural changes that must come about to eliminate military sexual assault.
Secretary Austin, please preserve DACOWITS. We strongly support the establishment of a DAC dedicated to Diversity and Inclusion. There are undoubtedly several overlapping issues among military women, racial/ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQ community––and many service members belong not just to one but two or all three of these Venn diagram triplets––but each group also has unique issues and perspectives that can sometimes collide. Our primary concern is that such a DAC, chartered to be a “jack of all these diverse communities,” could fail to serve any of them with the depth of knowledge, experience, and perception needed to advise you, your staff, and our Service leaders––and fail the individual service members who need a DAC voice, as well. The leadership and insights DACOWITS has provided for the past 70 years remain essential.
Sincerely,
Deshauna Barber
Chief Executive Officer
Service Women’s Action Network
{{Disclaimer}}
Service Women's Action Network
441 4th St NW Suite 707N
Washington, DC 20001
United States
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please (Unsubscribing is not supported in previews).