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There Is Strong, Deep-Seated, and Intensely Felt Opposition to Opening SOF Specialties That Have Been Closed to Women

• Overall, 85 percent of survey participants opposed letting women into their specialties, and 71 percent opposed women in their units.
• Although opposition exists across all services, elements, specialties, and rank groups, SEALs, Air Force Special Operations Command Special Tactics Team members, and noncommissioned officers appeared most strongly opposed.
• The dominant perspective across the focus groups was that women should not be integrated into SOF units and specialties, with potential impact on mission effectiveness and the continued ability to function as a highly performing team central to participants' concerns.

SOF Personnel Identified Three Main Concerns Regarding Unit Effectiveness When Integrating Women into SOF Units

• Many SOF personnel were concerned that standards would fall.
• Many SOF personnel were concerned that integrating women into SOF units would erode unit cohesion.
• Many SOF personnel were concerned that integrating women into SOF units would reduce the availability of leaders to resolve conflict between unit members.

Despite the Concerns, Some Participants Highlighted the Potential Benefits of Integrating Women into SOF Units

• About four in ten survey respondents agreed that women might be helpful in conducting sensitive operations and communicating with local populations.
• There is higher support, based on mission requirements, for attaching women in other specialties to SOF units, and higher support for opening SOF units to women, than there is support for opening currently closed SOF specialties to women.

The elimination of the Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule has opened to women some 15,500 special operations forces (SOF) positions. A RAND study helped to inform that decision and provides insight into the key factors surrounding the integration of women into SOF. The integration of women raises issues pertinent to the effectiveness of SOF teams, in terms of physical standards and ensuring readiness, cohesion, and morale. This report assesses potential challenges to the integration of women into SOF for unit cohesion and provides analytical support in validating SOF occupational standards for positions controlled by U.S. Special Operations Command. The report summarizes the history of integration of women into the U.S. armed forces, reviews the current state of knowledge about cohesion in small units, and discusses the application of gender-neutral standards to SOF. The report identifies widely agreed-on professional standards for the validation of physically demanding occupations and assists SOF service components with the application of these standards to SOF occupations. The report also discusses the primary data — a survey of SOF personnel and a series of focus group discussions — collected by the research team regarding the potential challenges to the integration of women into SOF. The report then presents recommendations regarding the implementation process of integrating women into SOF.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Part I

  History, Challenges, and Concerns

  • Chapter Two

    The Integration of Women and Other Excluded Groups into the U.S. Military: The Historical Experience

  • Chapter Three

    Physical Ability and Stress Response Differences Between Men and Women

  • Chapter Four

    The Potential Implications of Women’s Integration on Unit Cohesion

• Part II

  The Expectations of SOF Personnel Regarding Potentially Integrating Women into SOF Units

  • Chapter Five

    The Women in SOF Survey

  • Chapter Six

    Insights from the Focus Groups

• Part III

  Potential Future Pathways

  • Chapter Seven

    A Framework for Establishing Gender-Neutral Standards for Special Operations Forces

  • Chapter Eight

    Observations and Implications