Research and analysis
Women in ground close combat roles review 2016
The findings of the tri-service 2015/16 review of the exclusion of women from ground close combat (GCC) roles.
Documents
Details
In 2014 the current Secretary of State for Defence welcomed the prospect of opening ground close combat (GCC) roles to women, which was reinforced by the Prime Minister in December 2015. However the Secretary of State noted that lifting the exclusion without conducting further research to understand the risks to servicewomen’s health could expose women to unnecessary risk. He directed research to understand the physical challenges and potential health risks to women in GCC roles. This work was to produce an interim health report in early 2016 to inform a final decision on lifting exclusions by mid 2016.