KELLY, HIRONO, DUCKWORTH, COLLEAGUES INTRODUCELEGISLATIONTOPROTECTWOMEN'S RIGHT TO SERVE IN COMBAT

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Sen. Mark Kelly issued the following press release:

Today,Senate Armed Service committee members Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL),and 13other Senate Democrats introduced theWomen Add Resourcefulness and Resilience to Improve Operational Readiness (WARRIOR) Act,legislationtoreinforcealongstandingprincipleoftheU.S. military: standards must be based on the demands of the job, not gender.

This legislation is critical formaintainingrigorous, gender-neutral standards, especiallyin light ofthe U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to order a study examining "the effectiveness of women in combat jobs,"despite there beingno evidencethat the presence of women in co...