Women in the Military

Documenting Harriet Tubman’s Leadership: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Edda L. Fields-Black on the Combahee River Raid

The Combahee River Raid was a military operation during the American Civil War led by Harriet Tubman on June 1-2, 1863. Historian Edda L. Fields-Black—this year’s winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History—reflects on Tubman’s revolutionary Civil War raid and the power of preserving Black history in the face of political pushback.

“What I speculate is that the Union told the enslaved people who she was. And her presence facilitated the enslaved people in trusting the Union. We know, from some of the sources I’ve brought together in [my latest book] Combee that Harriet Tubman was on the ground in the raid, that she participated in the burning of buildings, and that she went to the slave cabins and coaxed the people there to come onto the boats and come to freedom. So how she convinced them to do that, we don’t know, but they did trust her, even if they didn’t know her entire backstory.”

Profiles in Courage: IRS vs. ICE? Melanie Krause Quit Rather Than Hand Over Your Tax Data for Deportations

and

Profiles in Courage honors the extraordinary women and men who have transformed American institutions through principled public service. At a time when trust in government is fragile, these stories offer a powerful reminder of what ethical leadership looks like—from those who litigate for civil rights and resign on principle, to those who break military barriers and defend democracy on the front lines.

As soon as Trump took office, the administration unveiled a plan to share IRS taxpayer data with the Department of Homeland Security to accelerate immigration enforcement. On the morning of Tuesday, April 15 (coincidentally Tax Day), Krause convened her leadership team. With quiet resolve, she announced that she would accept a deferred resignation offer rather than lend her name or the agency’s credibility to a policy she believed threatened taxpayer privacy, undermined statutory limits and risked eroding voluntary compliance.

“If the public cannot trust that their confidential returns will remain sacrosanct,” she said, “the foundation of our tax system cracks.”

Profiles in Courage: Colonel Susan Meyers Defied Trump’s Greenland Annexation Push—And Was Relieved of Command

and

Profiles in Courage is a series honoring the extraordinary women and men who have transformed American institutions through principled public service. At a time when trust in government is fragile, these stories offer a powerful reminder of what ethical leadership looks like—from those who litigate for civil rights and resign on principle, to those who break military barriers and defend democracy on the front lines.

When Colonel Susan Meyers assumed command of Pituffik Space Base, America’s northernmost military installation, in July 2024, she inherited more than a remote outpost carved from the Arctic ice. She inherited an unbroken 70-year alliance with Denmark and Greenland, 200 airmen and guardians under her care, and a delicate diplomatic balance in an era of rising political tension.

On April 10, 2025, the U.S. Space Force relieved Colonel Meyers of command, citing “a loss of confidence.”

Profiles in Courage: Admiral Shoshana Chatfield Was NATO’s Voice for Equality. Then Came the Purge.

and

Ms.‘ Profiles in Courage spotlights women in the Department of Justice, federal agencies and the military whose careers have been defined by integrity, resilience and reform. Their quiet heroism—often at personal cost—reaffirms the enduring role of public servants who choose justice over self-interest. Through their stories, Ms. pays tribute to a tradition of service that safeguards democracy and inspires the next generation to lead with courage.

Vice Admiral Shoshana “Sho” Chatfield built a career on firsts: the first woman to pilot three Navy rotary-wing platforms in combat theaters; the first woman to command Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25; the first woman to lead a Joint Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan, earning the Bronze Star; and, in 2019, the first woman to preside over the U.S. Naval War College. In 2024, she shattered one more glass ceiling—becoming the sole female flag officer on NATO’s Military Committee and the senior American naval voice in allied strategy sessions.

Yet, on a quiet spring weekend in 2025, that historic ascent collided with partisan headwinds. Without warning, Chatfield received a call from Admiral Christopher Grady, acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—champion of the administration’s campaign to eradicate “woke” policies—had ordered her relief.

Profiles in Courage: A Political Hit Job on the Navy’s Top Officer? The Firing of Admiral Lisa Franchetti

and

Profiles in Courage is a Ms. series honoring the extraordinary women and men who have transformed American institutions through principled public service. At a time when trust in government is fragile, these stories offer a powerful reminder of what ethical leadership looks like.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti has exemplified unparalleled leadership, strategic expertise, and an unyielding commitment to national security for decades. A seasoned surface warfare officer, she commanded at all levels of the U.S. Navy, leading the U.S. 6th Fleet, U.S. Naval Forces Korea, and multiple carrier strike groups. Her distinguished career culminated in November 2023, when she became the chief of naval operations (CNO)—the highest-ranking officer in the United States Navy and the first woman in history to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Women, Peace and Security Framework Is Not ‘Woke’—It’s Smart Strategy for National Defense

, , , and

While most of the American populace may not know what Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is, or what it champions, WPS has recently found itself at the center of partisan political crossfire. The US WPS Act of 2017, a response to UN Security Council Resolution 1325, mandates agencies of the federal government to understand and facilitate the incorporation of women’s knowledge and skills in the realm of national security. WPS asserts that women should be involved in matters of peace and war, which too often have been the sole preserve of men.

The Pentagon Is Ending its Women, Peace and Security Program. America’s Security Will be Impacted.

and

Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on social media that he proudly ended the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) program inside the Department of Defense (DOD). He tweeted: “WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops—distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING.”

This attack on WPS efforts at the DOD undermines the safety and security of America and its troops, at home and abroad.

New Ms. Magazine Series ‘Profiles in Courage’ Spotlights Public Service Women and Men of Valor

and

In the halls of American government and federal law enforcement, courage often operates behind closed doors, in the quiet moments where integrity is tested, and in the difficult decisions that shape the arc of justice. Today, Ms. launches Profiles in Courage—a powerful new series spotlighting extraordinary women and men who have devoted their lives to public service and, in doing so, transformed our institutions from the inside out.

The first installment in this series honors the work and valor of DANIELLE SASSOON, former acting U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, who stepped down from her job at the Department of Justice in order to avoid carrying out a directive to drop federal corruption charges against Eric Adams.

When Serving the Country Means Erasing My Trans Child

A military mom on the heartbreak of watching her country strip away the rights, safety and dignity of her trans child:

“In recent months, lawmakers voted to strip military families of the right to access life-saving, evidence-based medical care for their trans loved ones. In a one-two punch, the House and Senate then voted to ban trans girls and women from playing on teams that align with their gender. Since then, President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders targeting trans kids, including language erasing our child’s existence, prohibiting access to medical care, and directing schools to call my child by the wrong name and pronouns. … As a result, my child is no longer able to live as freely as other children.

“We tried therapy, new pronouns, and ways to socially transition James, but it wasn’t enough. We took the next step and met with specialists to begin a low dose of testosterone.  … James is flourishing, despite living in a country seemingly intent on erasing kids like him.”

Keeping Score: Bill Disenfranchising Women Voters Passes U.S. House, Heads to Senate; Barbara Lee Becomes Mayor of Oakland; Republicans Threaten SNAP and Medicaid

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Only 34 percent of single women are looking for a relationship, compared to 54 percent of single men; the House passed the SAVE Act which could disenfranchise 69 million married women; Sen. Booker (D-N.J.) broke Senate speech record; Medicaid and SNAP are at risk of cuts; Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains illegally deported and imprisoned, and Trump says “homegrowns” are next; marking Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Equal Pay Day; 13 states have recently introduced bills to improve menopause care; Democratic Women’s Caucus leaders and over 150 House members urged RFK Jr. to restore frozen Title X funding; Georgia dropped charges against Selena Chandler-Scott, who was arrested after being found unconscious and bleeding after a miscarriage; and more.