The ousting of
Vice Adm. Yvette Davids from her post as the first female superintendent of the
academy in Annapolis, makes her one of at least five senior female service
members who have been moved out of their roles since January.
That trend, coupled with Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth’s well-documented antipathy toward women in combat roles prior to
becoming Pentagon chief, could have a chilling effect on women enlisting in the
armed forces, experts say.
“It’s
hard not to come to the conclusion that it’s going to weaken our military force
by undermining the role of women who have become, I believe, an intrinsic part
of our military capability,” said Leon Panetta, a former defense secretary
in the Obama administration.
Panetta, who in 2013 announced that all combat roles would
soon be open to women — a shift that eventually came in 2015 — told The
Hill that the Trump administration’s removal of female leaders from the ranks,
often without explanation, will have impacts on morale for female service
members.
“Just
to remove commanders from their positions without cause sends a clear signal
that this is not about merit, it’s not about performance, and it is about the
fact that they’re women. It’s the only conclusion you can come to,” he said.
Davids was not outright fired, instead moved to deputy chief
of naval operations, a senior position but largely out of the public eye. But
the shift was only after she had led the academy for 18 months rather than the
typical three- or four-year tenure of the school’s superintendent.
Nora
Bensahel, a professor of civil-military relations at Johns Hopkins University,
said the fact that she was removed from the Naval Academy ”really sends a
message from the Pentagon that they do not think that a woman is qualified to
be in charge of educating and training the next generation of fighters.”
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