Ill-equipped female in squad (5)
I believe the answer is:
unfit
'ill-equipped' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'female in squad' is the wordplay.
'female' becomes 'f' (abbreviation).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'squad' becomes 'unit' (both can mean a group of soldiers).
'f' put inside 'unit' is 'UNFIT'.
(Other definitions for unfit that I've seen before include "Not in good shape physically" , "Inappropriate" , "Ill-equipped" , "Inapt" , "Ill-suited" .)