Women have served in combat for a decade. Lawmakers want to protect that right.

The 19th reports that Senate Democrats introduced the WARRIOR Act on Wednesday to codify women's right to serve in combat roles. The bill would reinforce what's been military law for a decade—that occupational standards must be based on job demands, not gender. More than five thousand women have served in these roles since the restrictions lifted, and all five military vice chiefs told Congress under oath that their service hasn't compromised readiness. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is conducting a review of the policy and has recently made personnel decisions disproportionately affecting women officers. The bill would expand congressional oversight of such decisions and require that any standards changes be justified by scientific evidence of combat impact.

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