MOD launches world-first training and performance guide for servicewomen

Homeland July 15, 2026

A new Defence-specific handbook providing science-led guidance on training, nutrition and recovery for servicewomen has been published, offering the first sex-specific performance support for women preparing for the most demanding military roles.

Published on 9 July, the guide draws on a decade of research and lived experience gathered since restrictions on women in ground close combat roles were lifted in 2016. Authored by experts across Defence with tri-Service input, it provides practical guidance on training, sleep, nutrition, recovery and injury prevention, intended for immediate use across all three Services. The handbook aims to deliver a unified standard of support for women while addressing what the MOD describes as a historic gender data gap in Armed Forces training and performance.

The guide sets out standards across four areas. On training, it provides science-backed programmes accounting for women’s specific needs when carrying out demanding tasks such as carrying heavy equipment, aimed at meeting required standards with minimal injury risk. On nutrition, it sets targets specific to women’s energy, protein, iron and vitamin D needs. On hormone health, it offers guidance on sleep, menstrual cycle tracking and hormonal contraceptives, noting that servicewomen sleeping fewer than the recommended 7 to 9 hours face significantly elevated musculoskeletal injury risk. On kit, it points to better-designed clothing, improved-fit body armour, urination systems, emergency period products and funded sports bras.

Minister for Veterans and People Calvin Bailey MBE MP said “warfighting readiness depends on the strength, resilience and preparation of all our people,” adding that the guide ensures servicewomen “have the tailored, evidence-based support they need to perform at their best.” Professor Julie Greeves, Technical Research Director in Physiology, said the guide corrects a long-standing imbalance in performance research: “Historically, physical performance research has been based on male data. This guide changes that.” The handbook, Science of Human Performance: A guide for servicewomen preparing for arduous courses, was developed by the Army Health and Performance Research Team following a pilot programme tracking women from first selection through to senior operational roles.

For suppliers to the defence sector, the guide’s kit-related findings point toward practical procurement implications, from body armour designed to fit women properly to specialist clothing, urination systems and personal care products, areas where sex-specific design has historically lagged behind male-fit equivalents.

Image credit: coxy58 / Shutterstock.com

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