The word “gender” is mentioned 29 times in the House-passed version of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which also formally establishes a full-time, funded, stationed, and resourced “Gender Advisor Workforce.”
H.R. 7900, which easily passed the House by a margin of more than three-to-one (329-101), ensures all-gender coverage of artificial reproductive services, examines differences in recruitment and home ownership by gender - and even conducts gender-based services to foreign military and counts the number of people evacuated from Afghanistan by gender:
- Gender Advisor Workforce: Develop and manage a Gender Advisor Workforce throughout the Department of Defense.
- Artificial Reproductive Services: Grant coverage regardless of gender marital status.
- Fitness Requirements: Establish gender-neutral fitness standards.
- Recruitment Efforts: quantify gender of those enlisted by region and Army Recruitment Battalion area.
- Barriers to Homeownership: study differences in enlistment correlated with gender.
- Foreign Militaries: Conduct/Advise/Support foreign militaries in providing appropriate gender-sensitive equipment and facilities.
- Foreign Militaries: Conduct/Advise/Support foreign military establishment, training, and development of gender advisory workforces.
- Afghanistan Evacuation: Account for the total number of individuals evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021 with support of the United States Government, disaggregated by gender.
In comparison, while “gender” is mentioned 29 times in the bill, "Iran," which poses the threat of obtaining nuclear weapons, is mentioned just 17 times.
The majority of the mentions of “gender” are devoted to establishing and developing a “Gender Advisor Workforce” throughout the Department of Defense, especially in its military branches. Gender advisors will be credentialed and departments will be required to conduct “self-assessment.”
Specifically, the bill requires the Secretary of Defense to:
- Establish and develop the gender advisor role into a full-time, billeted, and resourced position across organizations within the Department of Defense, including the military departments, Armed Forces, the combatant commands, and defense agencies and field activities,
- Develop and standardize position descriptions of the gender advisor workforce, including gender advisors and gender focal points,
- Create a credentialing program for gender advisors, and
- Require self-assessment of the Department's progress in implementing a fully-trained cadre of gender advisors.
The full text of the section providing for the Gender Advisory Workforce is presented below:
SEC. 1206. SECURITY COOPERATION PROGRAMS WITH FOREIGN PARTNERS TO
ADVANCE WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY.
(a) In General.--Subchapter V of chapter 16 of title 10, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 353. Women, peace, and security programs
``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence
of the Secretary of State, may conduct or support security cooperation
programs and activities involving the national military or national-
level security forces of a foreign country or other covered personnel
to advise, train, and educate such forces or such other covered
personnel with respect to--
``(1) the recruitment, employment, development, retention,
promotion, and meaningful participation in decision making of
women and underrepresented groups;
``(2) sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic abuse,
and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence that
disproportionately impact women and underrepresented groups;
``(3) the integration of gender analysis into security
sector policy, planning, exercises, and training;
``(4) the requirements of women and underrepresented
groups, including providing appropriate gender sensitive
equipment and facilities;
``(5) the development of educational curriculum on women,
peace, and security within professional military education
programming and other security forces training;
``(6) the establishment, training, and development of
gender advisory workforces within women, peace, and security
programs; and
``(7) the implementation of activities described in this
subsection.
``(b) Payment of Expenses for Advancement of Objectives.--The
Secretary of Defense may pay for the travel, transportation, and
subsistence expenses of national military and national-level security
forces of a foreign country or other covered personnel that the
Secretary considers necessary for the advancement of the objectives of
this section.
``(c) Other Covered Personnel Defined.--In this section, the term
`other covered personnel' means personnel of--
``(1) the ministry of defense, or a governmental entity
with a similar function, of a foreign country;
``(2) a regional organization with a security mission;
``(3) personnel of a friendly foreign government other than
personnel of national security forces; or
``(4) personnel of a non-governmental organization.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
subchapter V of chapter 16 of title 10, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following new item:
``353. Women, peace, and security programs.''.
(c) Women, Peace, and Security Curricula for Pre-commissioning
Education Programs and Joint Professional Military Education.--
(1) Integration of women, peace, and security curricula.--
The Secretary of Defense shall develop a plan to incorporate
women, peace, and security studies as a component of the core
curricula of pre-commissioning education programs and joint
professional military education programs to further
implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017
(Public Law 115-68; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note), including an analysis
of the resources needed to develop a standardized women, peace,
and security curriculum.
(2) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing the
plan developed under paragraph (1).
(3) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall brief
the appropriate congressional committees on the report under
paragraph (2) detailing the plan developed under paragraph (1).
(4) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) The term ``appropriate congressional
committees'' means--
(i) the Committee on Armed Services and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives; and
(ii) the Committee on Armed Services and
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate.
(B) The term ``joint professional military
education program'' means a program or course of
instruction established pursuant to a provision of
chapter 107 of title 10, United States Code.
(C) The term ``pre-commissioning education
program'' means a program or course of instruction
established for--
(i) the United States Military Academy;
(ii) the United States Naval Academy; or
(iii) the United States Air Force Academy.
(d) Plan for Development and Management of Gender Advisor
Workforce.--
(1) Plan required.--The Secretary of Defense shall develop
and implement a plan to standardize the role and duties of the
gender advisor workforce of the Department of Defense
responsible for supporting the implementation of the Women,
Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-68; 22 U.S.C.
2151 note).
(2) Elements.--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall
consist of such elements relating to the development and
management of the gender advisor workforce, including an
assessment of--
(A) the funds, resources, and authorities needed to
establish and develop the gender advisor role into a
full-time, billeted, and resourced position across
organizations within the Department of Defense,
including the military departments, Armed Forces, the
combatant commands, and defense agencies and field
activities;
(B) the actions the Secretary will take to develop
and standardize position descriptions of the gender
advisor workforce, including gender advisors and gender
focal points, across organizations within the
Department;
(C) the Department's existing training programs for
gender advisors and gender focal points, including the
creation and funding of a credentialing program for
gender advisors to foster the development of a
professionalized cadre of gender advisors.
(D) a self-assessment of the Department's progress
in implementing a fully trained cadre of gender
advisors appropriately placed within the Department and
a plan to address any gaps or deficiencies; and
(E) the actions the Secretary will carry out for
incorporating the total amount of expenditures and
proposed appropriations necessary to support the
program, projects, and activities of the gender advisor
workforce into future years defense program submissions
to Congress.
(3) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing the
Secretary's progress in implementing the plan required by
paragraph (1).
(4) Definitions.--In this subsection--
(A) the term ``appropriate congressional
committees'' means--
(i) the Committee on Armed Services and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives; and
(ii) the Committee on Armed Services and
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate; and
(B) the term ``gender advisor workforce'' means all
gender advisors and gender focal points across the
Department of Defense.
Subtitle B--Matters Relating to Afghanistan and Pakistan