The Air Force must do a better job appealing to female candidates, Secretary Heather Wilson told lawmakers Tuesday, especially since women have a “very natural place” in the U.S. military because they are mothers and protectors.
The military, she told the House Armed Services Committee, may still be talking about its national security role in terms that appeal more to young men than women. Wilson said the Air Force is working to speak more directly and appeal to potential female recruits.
“We’re trying to change a little bit the way we talk and think about who the protectors are, because I think sometimes the way in which we talk about the services may appeal more to boys than to girls, and that’s important the way we talk about these things,” she said.
Wilson and the secretaries of the Army and Navy were questioned about efforts to reduce the military’s gender gap. All four services have opened combat positions to women and are moving toward personnel policies that are seen as more female-friendly.
“If I asked everyone in this room to think, just close your eyes for a second, and think about the most protective person in your life, someone who would do anything to keep you safe,” she told lawmakers. “Half the people in this room are thinking about their moms.”
“We are the protectors; that’s what the military does,” Wilson continued. “We serve to protect the rest of you, and that’s a very natural place for a woman to be.”
Sen. Susan Davis, D-Calif., said all the military services face challenges in recruiting women, who are also more likely than men to leave at various points in their military careers.
The loss of women could affect the military’s readiness to fight wars, Davis said.
The Army and Navy also outlined new personnel policies that would allow more career flexibility for service members, but Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, highlighted Wilson’s response.
“I’ve never heard the case for who should be serving in our uniforms better put than the way you said that,” Conaway said. “I don’t know if you noticed, but it got real quiet in here when you were finishing up your statement, and I think it was because your words were reverberating through everyone in here.”
Conaway, who served in the Army, said he was “blessed” to have been raised by a mother “who fit into that category.”
