Job reservation practices during the previous dispensation entrenched discrimination against women, which resulted in the under-representation of women at senior management level within the then South African Defence Force (SADF). The White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service 1995, the White Paper on Affirmative Action in the Public Service 1998 and a Cabinet decision of 25 November 2005 revoked discriminatory practices and set targets for the inclusion of women during the period 1999 to 2009. This article examines the extent to which women were represented within senior management in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) between 1998 and 2008. Results of empirical research reveal continued under-representation of women at senior management level, and indicates that the SANDF did not achieve the gender equity targets for the period identified.