“There are many ways in which the services are not recognizing the ever-growing diversity of their members,” she said. First and foremost, she added, “we’ve seen it in the shortcoming in addressing egregious sexual assault.” But the U.S. military is geared to males in less obvious ways, too. “Women were still being issued men’s combat boots,” Tsongas said, adding that she’s taken an interest in making body armor and prosthetics for those who’ve lost their limbs better suited to women (another amendment she successfully introduced to the bill would require action from the Pentagon on the medical needs of female amputees).

“I’ve just seen too many instances in which there’s an element of neglect,” she said. She counts the matter of breastfeeding among them.