In 2007, a group of women veterans who were having trouble getting their Veteran Affairs (VA) claims approved decided to organize and do something about the VA claims process. Initially working under another organization, in 2009 they broke away and formed the Service Women’s Action Network, establishing SWAN as a 501(c)3 in New York City.

They quickly found that many of the problems that women veterans face stemmed from harassment and assault that they experienced while serving. At the time, the Veterans Administration (VA) did not recognize sexual assault as a source of post-traumatic stress (PTS) in the way it recognized combat stress. SWAN worked to support victims of military sexual assault, to hold perpetrators accountable in the military justice system, and to have the PTS that results from a sexual assault recognized by the VA. Despite orchestrating many institutional improvements, including having sexual assault recognized as a source of post-traumatic stress by the VA, SWAN continues to address these concerns today, offering support and resources for women dealing with issues such as mental health, sexual assault, and VA claims, among others.

In 2012, SWAN began advocating for equality within military assignments after researching the DOD’s exclusion of women from more than a quarter of a million prestigious ground combat jobs. SWAN maintained that excluding women from key positions perpetuated a military environment that undermined women’s value, obstructed their career progression and created a culture that caused service women to be more vulnerable to harassment and assault. Due to dedicated legislators, military officials, and SWAN’s consistent efforts on Capitol Hill, the policy preventing women from entering combat positions was eliminated in 2013. In 2016, the military services began integrating women into previously closed occupations and units.

Today, SWAN continues to press for law and policy changes to better address the needs of service women and women veterans. With a focus on advocacy and a 24/7 emergency assistance hotline, SWAN is the leading national organization focused on supporting service women and women veterans.