1. Equality Management
DACOWITS recommends that the Army continue to take positive steps to assign qualified women to open Table of Organization and Equipment (TOE) positions at every level.

As one of those steps, DACOWITS recommends that the Secretary of the Army quantitatively track career patterns of women at every officer level to ensure that they are afforded opportunities equal to their male counterparts to attend professional schools and to hold career-enhancing leadership assignments, including TOE positions, that make them equally competitive for selection to and command at the levels of Colonel and above.

2. Forces Development and Utilization

DACOWITS recommends that the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations commit to the integration of women into the submarine community, and develop an implementation plan.

• For long term integration, DACOWITS recommends that the Secretary of the Navy direct redesign of VIRGINIA class submarines to accommodate mixed gender crews.
• For short term integration, DACOWITS recommends that the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations commence with assigning women officers to SSBNs

3. Forces Development and Utilization

DACOWITS recommends in the strongest possible terms that the Army open Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) to the assignment of women.

4. Forces Development and Utilization

DACOWITS recommends that the Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) and U.S. Special Operations Command (US SOCOM) accept and deploy mixed gender Special Operations Forces (SOF) rotary wing aviation crews.

5. Quality of Life

DACOWITS recommends that the Office of Family Policy, and the equivalent Coast Guard office, provide annual briefings to include but not be limited to pre-command courses, senior enlisted academies, and senior leader conferences to promote better understanding of the total military system of childcare.Briefings should include but not be limited to correcting misperceptions (for example, Commanders’ discretion on hours of operation as well as parity in access for all military services), and promoting expansion of Family Child Care as an accredited alternative to Child Development Centers.

6. Quality of Life

DACOWITS recommends that the Office of the Secretary of Defense, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, implement a plan which addresses how all beneficiaries can optimize use of existing military health system resources and have the flexibility to use other medical resources in remote locations.

7. Quality of Life

DACOWITS recommends that the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management Policy) pursue plans to address the following issues:

• Unmet childcare needs
• Extended hours of care
• Number of spaces available
• Sick child care
• Evening and weekend care
• Family Child Care providers

Chair: Ms. Vickie L. McCall