The first woman to ever fly a U.S. combat mission sued Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to challenge a policy that mandates Islamic dress and customs for U.S. military women based in Saudi Arabia when they travel off-base. According to the lawsuit filed by Lt. Col. Martha McSally, women can be court-martialed if they leave Prince Sultan Air Base without a male chaperone, are not covered from head-to-toe with a dark "abayah" robe, or sit in the front seat of a vehicle. "In Saudi Arabia she can pilot a plane but not drive a car," said her lawyer, Thomas Neuberger.
In the lawsuit McSally said the Pentagon regulations, which are imposed only in Saudi Arabia, violate her First Amendment constitutional right to practice her Christian faith freely and to not have a religion imposed on her. The only requirement the Saudi government imposes is that non-Muslim women visitors dress conservatively. Bureau Report