Clockwise, starting at bottom left • Picture 1: Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jeanine Menze, the first African American female to successfully complete flight training and be assigned as a pilot. USCG photo by PA2 Jennifer Johnson • Picture 2: Adm. Mike Mullen congratulates newly promoted Chief Aerographers Mate Eugenia Dowling at a promotion ceremony held at the courtyard of the Pentagon. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley • Picture 3: Chief Master Sgt. Carol Dockery, Command Chief for Air Force Cyber Command at Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport, La. U. S. Air Force photo by Sue Sapp • Picture 4: Army Brig. Gen. Belinda Pinckney, principal deputy director of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, tells the audience at the Defense Department's observance of Women's History Month. Photo by Rudi Williams • Picture 5: Coast Guardsmen stand in audience of students from Park View Elementary School in Portsmouth. The Coast Guard tutored Park View students throughout the school year as part of the Coast Guard Partnership in Education Program. USCG photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Evanson. • Picture 6: A Marine with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment speaks with an Arnold Heights alternative school student shortly after a game of handball at March Air Reserve Base. Photo by Cpl. Mike Escobar • Picture 7: US Army Spc. Danielle Deal visits with a student at the Djibouti City School in Djibouti after handing out school supplies. DoD photo by Chief Petty Officer Eric A. Clement, US Navy • Picture 8: U.S. Air Force Maj. Mark Jones assists a student at the Complejo Educacional Esperanza School during a community outreach event in Santiago, Chile. U.S. Embassy photo by Jose Nunos • Picture 9: Commanding Officer Cmdr. Sara Joyner of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, puts on her gloves while dressing out in full flight gear before flight operations aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Joyner is the first female commanding officer of a fighter squadron. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. • Picture 10: Corporal Teresa T. Fernandez received a combat meritorious promotion this month for her work as a 2nd Marine Division Headquarters Battalion armorer. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stephen DAlessio • Picture 11: Master Sgt. Kelly Butterfuss, 1st Medical Operations Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of pediatrics, was promoted under the Stripes for Exceptional Performers program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Michelle Arslan) • Picture 12: Gen Ann Dunwoody official photo DACOWITS DEFENSE DEPARTMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN THE SERVICES 2008 REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... i I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................1 A. BACKGROUND: SUCCESS STRATEGIES FOR FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS ................................................................................................. 3 B. BACKGROUND: EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILITARY CHILDREN ................................................................................................................ 13 C. ORGANIZATION OF REPORT................................................................................ 22 II. SUCCESS STRATEGIES FOR FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS............................. 23 A. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS...................................... 24 B. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY..................................................... 26 C. MILITARY CAREER GOALS OF FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS..................... 27 D. CHALLENGES THAT FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS ENCOUNTER .............. 37 E. STRATEGIES THAT FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS USE TO SUCCEED AND OVERCOME CHALLENGES ......................................................................... 46 F. MILITARY INITIATIVES TO HELP FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS SUCCEED AND OVERCOME CHALLENGES...................................................... 60 G. WOMEN-TO-WOMEN SUCCESS STRATEGIES .................................................. 72 H. WORDS OF ADVICE FROM FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS TO YOUNG WOMEN CONTEMPLATING A MILITARY CAREER......................................... 78 III. EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILITARY CHILDREN........................ 80 A. CHARACTERISTICS OF FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS ................................ 80 B. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY..................................................... 83 C. QUALITY OF EDUCATION AVAILABLE TO MILITARY CHILDREN ............ 83 D. DEPLOYMENT-RELATED SUPPORT AVAILABLE TO MILITARY CHILDREN.......................................................................................... 107 IV. 2008 DACOWITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: SUCCESS STRATEGIES FOR FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS.............................................. 111 V. 2008 DACOWITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILITARY CHILDREN..................................................... 117 VI. APPENDICES.................................................................................................................. 121 APPENDIX A: DACOWITS CHARTER......................................................................122 APPENDIX B: BIOGRAPHIES OF DACOWITS MEMBERS..................................126 APPENDIX C: INSTALLATIONS VISITED...............................................................130 APPENDIX D: FOCUS GROUP PROTCOLS..............................................................132 APPENDIX E: MINI-SURVEYS....................................................................................142 APPENDIX F: MINI-SURVEY RESULTS...................................................................145 APPENDIX G: BRIEFINGS PRESENTED TO DACOWITS ....................................156 APPENDIX H: ACRONYMS USED IN REPORT .......................................................159 APPENDIX I: FINDING SALIENCE GRID ...............................................................162 APPENDIX J: WEBSITES OFFERING PCS INFORMATION/ASSISTANCE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES WITH SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN............................................................................................164 APPENDIX K: WEBSITES WITH GENERAL REFERENCES FOR EDUCATION GRADES K-12.....................................................166 APPENDIX L: WEBSITES OFFERING DEPLOYMENT-RELATED INFORMATION/ASSISTANCE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES WITH SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN.................................................168 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The mission of the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) is to provide the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) with advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in the Armed Forces, as well as on family issues related to the recruitment and retention of a highly qualified professional military. In 2008, the Committee’s two topics were (A) success strategies for female Service members and (B) educational opportunities for military children and the impact of education choices on military career satisfaction and retention. A. SUCCESS STRATEGIES FOR FEMALE SERVICE MEMBERS Women in uniform continue to be increasingly successful in advancing their careers as they serve their country. The paths they have taken and the outcomes they have achieved are as varied as the women who have chosen a military career. They want to learn from their predecessors and to pass along the wisdom they have acquired to those who are following in their footsteps. DACOWITS members wanted to learn how female Service members define success for themselves, whether they believe they are achieving success as they define it, and which strategies they have used to achieve success and overcome challenges. Finally, members of DACOWITS asked participants to share the wisdom and insights gained over the course of their careers. Their advice reveals as much about their personal journey as their professional military life (see pages 82–85). Success means different things to different people. Most often, focus group participants defined success in their military career as advancement, achieving career goals, doing a good job, and making a difference. Other definitions included job satisfaction, making the most out of each assignment, finding a balance between professional and personal life, and achieving education goals. When asked whether they believe they are on track to achieve their professional goals, most stated that they are making progress, although they noted that the path has not always been a smooth one. The career challenges cited most often by participants were those related to gender and to work- life balance. Gender issues included dealing with female stereotypes; having to prove their abilities repeatedly; and maintaining fitness standards, especially following child birth. The challenges in creating a healthy work-life balance are experienced most often in the context of parenting responsibilities. A pregnant woman may be limited in her ability to do her job (e.g., pilots). Finding adequate child care is a perennial problem, as is taking time to care for sick children. Coping with separation due to deployment is always difficult, but particularly for single parents. Given the difficulty of finding solutions to work-life balance challenges, it is perhaps not i surprising that recent studies have found that Active Component