Pentagon Transfers Combat Role Study to Johns Hopkins APL

The U.S. Department of Defense moved a long-running study on women in combat roles from the Institute for Defense Analyses to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The transfer shifts the research to an organization that has a financial and professional connection to a researcher whose prior work critics say opposed female integration in these units.

Civil rights groups argue the move allows the Pentagon to select Yevgeniya Pinelis, an APL researcher, to lead the review. Pinelis published a 2015 study on Marine Corps combat units that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has cited in support of his position. Hegseth, who took office in January 2025, implemented sex-neutral fitness standards for combat units and voiced opposition to women in those roles.

The lawsuit filed by the ACLU Women’s Rights Project and the Service Women’s Action Network describes Pinelis’ 2015 study as having a flawed design and biased analysis. The legal team points to a small participant pool with inequitable experience and training between male and female Marines. Gillian Thomas, a senior counsel at the ACLU, stated that the lack of transparency regarding why the study is being undertaken is a matter of national security.

The original initiative was announced in a December 2025 memo by Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. Tata wrote that the review aims to evaluate the operational effectiveness of mixed-gender units. This evaluation comes about a decade after former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the military to integrate women into combat positions by 2016.

The transfer occurred without a public explanation from the Defense Department. A spokesperson confirmed APL is conducting the study but declined to answer further questions. Advocates filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to force a response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted in August. Federal law requires the department to respond to such requests within 20 business days.

Johns Hopkins University is the largest recipient of defense contracts among the 15 research centers funded by the Pentagon. The Applied Physics Laboratory, located in Laurel, Maryland, generated approximately $2.8 billion in revenue in the fiscal year ending in June 2025. Financial reports indicate that the U.S. Department of War accounted for about 70% of APL’s revenue during the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. Over the last decade, the Defense Department awarded the lab about $12 billion in contracts.

The study arrives during a period of significant changes in the armed forces under Hegseth. He has promoted fewer women and minorities to senior positions and eliminated women-centered programs. He also issued guidance preventing official resources from supporting identity-related events. Representatives for APL and Pinelis did not respond to requests for comment regarding the new assignment.