An Assessment of Options for Increasing Gender Integration in Air Force Basic Military Training

July 8, 2025

• Agnes Gereben Schaefer, Darrell D. Jones, Andrew M. Naber, Thomas Goughnour, Nelson Lim

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  1. An Assessment of Options for Increasing Gender Integration in Air Force Basic Military Training

Summary

Currently, men and women in U.S. Air Force (USAF) Basic Military Training (BMT) train and sleep in gender-segregated flights of 42 to 52 trainees. Recently, USAF leadership has become concerned that current levels of gender-integrated training (GIT) in BMT do not reflect integrated working conditions in the operational USAF—especially now that all positions in the USAF are open to women. USAF leadership is also concerned that current levels of GIT do not accurately represent to new trainees or to the public that diversity is a USAF priority. It is within this context that the USAF asked the RAND Corporation to assess ways to increase GIT in BMT.

This study consisted of five tasks:

1. reviewing the historical rationale for the degree of GIT in BMT and associated training outcomes
2. comparing USAF BMT with that of its sister services
3. developing a range of options to incrementally and fully gender integrate USAF BMT
4. providing a comparative analysis of selected alternatives for gender-integrated BMT, including a cost analysis of the alternatives 5. developing an implementation monitoring framework and documenting findings and recommendations.

Citation

Gereben Schaefer, Agnes, Darrell D. Jones, Andrew M. Naber, Thomas Goughnour, Nelson Lim, and RAND Corporation. “An Assessment of Options for Increasing Gender Integration in Air Force Basic Military Training.” RAND Corporation, 2018.