Clearing the Way:
The Integration of Women into MOS 12B
SGT Godoy, Edward
12B ALC Student
28 March 2015
Abstract
This paper will discuss the U.S. Army’s decision to allow women into combat Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), specifically into MOS 12B known as a Combat Engineer which for years has been closed to women. I will speak briefly on the history of and mindset of the Army and how it has pretty much forced the women that currently serve to prove themselves. We will also discuss the certification process from Basic Combat Training (BCT), AIT (Advanced Individual Training), and Combat Engineer Advanced Leaders Course (ALC). This paper will also examine the specialized programs soldiers must receive such as Sexual
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This restriction was meant to keep women from serving in units below the brigade level whose primary mission was to engage in direct combat on the ground. This restriction meant that women could not serve in combat Military Occupational Specialties such as special operations, infantry, armor, artillery, and in this case combat engineers. The current goal of Army leadership is to open most jobs by the end of fiscal year (October) 2015. Soon the Army will officially have female combat engineers, fighting and training alongside their male counterparts. We will all have to change any preconceived notions and biases of women in order to have a smooth transition and to ensure that female soldiers are not mistreated or given any special treatment, and ensure that they are treated fairly and be seen as just soldiers not female soldiers but just that, soldiers.
Certifications
So what does this mean for our MOS? The first thing we will discuss is the earning of certifications from Advanced Individual Training to Advanced Leaders Course. As you already may know, other than a few training posts, most Basic Combat Training is already co-ed. For years females have been taught alongside their male counterparts basic soldiering skills. Of course there are going to be issues, and of course there are going to be some females that just can’t cut it as soldiers, but there are males who go
For years women have been trying to gain gender equality throughout the working world, along with in the military. Since the beginning of a uniformed military, women could not serve in military occupational specialty (MOS) positions that put them in direct combat roles. Although many women have contributed in significant ways, they have not been authorized to serve in MOS such as infantry, artillery, or armor. As the war on terrorism has developed since 9/11, women have slowly worked their way farther into the military and its many roles. This resulted in women being placed into direct combat roles. Though women have been allowed into many different roles, there is still one battle that they have yet to win and this time the majority is not backing them. Women are trying to gain access to United States Special Operations units in every branch of the military and the majority of these operators are not happy about it. While some people believe women deserve equality and the chance to do what men can do in the military, that is why women should not be
Thesis Statement: A few females are joining the military, and those taking leadership roles is even small, caused by existence of limited information about the Army and less combat roles, and this can be addressed by lifting ban on women on combat and creating more combat support jobs.
The question originally posed in the Combat Exclusion Law, regarding placement of females in combat, continues to be debated as women are placed in combat roles without adequate training (Sanchez, 2011). What distinguishes some positions as being acceptable while others are not? Who has the authority to approve exceptions, and what exceptions have been made? On May 13, 2011, a bill placed before the House of Representatives addressed the issue to “repeal the ground combat exclusion policy for female members” (Sanchez, 2011, p. 1).
The U.S. Army will provide EO and fair treatment for military personnel and family members without regard to race, color, religion, gender, or national origin, and provide an environment free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behavior. The assignment and utilization of female soldiers are the only exceptions to our non-biased personnel management process. AR 600-13, Army Policy for the Assignment of Female Soldiers, prescribes policies, procedures, responsibilities, and the position coding
ecretary Panetta 's decision to repeal the Department of Defense policy preventing women from serving in direct ground combat units opened Pandora 's box. We have since witnessed a fierce debate over whether women should be allowed to serve in specialties previously opened to males only. The media promptly rushed to side with those contending that all direct ground combat jobs should be open to women, suggesting that women proven had themselves on a "nonlinear" battlefield, where there were no distinguishable front and rear lines. Furthermore, many have rallied behind those women who have been able to demonstrate superior physical abilities, such as the two women soldiers that recently completed Ranger School. I would submit in line with the 1992 Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces that neither accomplishment demonstrates that these women or women in general are the "best-qualified and most capable" to serve in direct ground combat arms specialties. This issue is not about what women should be allowed to do, it 's really about what are they capable of doing. The bias is not institutional, the bias is physiological.
Female integration in the infantry has been a recent topic of discussion with many voicing their own opinion on the matter. With the recent opening of all jobs in the military to all genders, more are beginning to show their stance. Voicing her own opinion on the matter is former U.S. Army Captain Julie Pulley for an editorial in the Wall Street Journal titled “Women In The Infantry? No Thanks”. In this article she sees the juxtaposition between females integrating among the ranks of the infantry. Pulley displays her stance firmly with her thesis stating “As a former captain and airborne soldier in the Army’s Second Infantry Division Support Command, I say be careful what you wish for. Overturning a long-standing tradition in a martial organization
Our military has been around for over 241 years, establishing its strength and developing itself to be one of the strongest, most potent, and patriotic military's of the world. Our military, consisting of the five branches (Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Coast Guard) as of October 1st, 2016 opened all military occupational specialties (MOS) to females. This may be one of the largest leaps in history that our country has made. However, with women's roles in the combat being changed they are required to pass all training with the same standards males have. This questions the service and brings to a debate on why the double standards in place today still remain. With the exception of females in combat meeting male requirements to qualify, I come to question the effects that these double standards have on the U.S. military, both past and present, in regards to the military's strength as a unit and the effects that they have on bringing together the members as one team despite these differences inflicted by gender. Both men and women of the service have the possibility to stand alongside one another while representing the same face-value and quality as
In this paper I will present my position about women working in Special Forces (green berets). I will mention other countries that have women in combat positions or units. I will explain the job involvement of Special Forces, the training and qualifications required, and the job demands, both physical and mental when in a combat unit. Base on what I had seen and been true in my 22 years in the military I’ll have to disagree with women been in Special Forces or any combat unit for that matter. In today’s 21st century, women have
Since 1901, women have served in some form of the military, however, dating back to the American Revolution women have had an unofficial role. Women have had and will continue to have an important role in the military, the question is whether women should be allowed to occupy specific combat positions. Traditionally women have not been allowed in combat occupations, but recently these restrictions have been somewhat lifted, making certain occupations available to women. Despite the lift complications arise from women being in combat vocations and it’s not just because of the physical differences, there is also the increased risk of sexual assault. Due to the detrimental impact on the military, soldiers, and society, women should not
In the article “Women in the Military” mentions the women have been joining the military since 2000. Besides that, women who serve the military do require a lot of physical requirement because of stereotypical thinking of women being weak. Even more, some commanders want more women to participate in the use of technology. Women tried fighting this kind of idea but managed to fail; In 2003 young women named Lynch was the only survivor of an insurgent attack in Iraq, which motivated more women to join the army. Even more, women that join the army also experienced harassment and rape. After these incidents, it was decided that the military training was not going to be co-ed basic training. By doing this the pentagon announced in 2013 that they
When it comes to combat assignments and the needs of the military, men take precedence over all other considerations, including career prospects of female service members. Female military members have been encouraged to pursue opportunities and career enhancement within the armed forces, which limit them only to the needs and good of the service due to women being not as “similarly situated” as their male counterparts when it comes to strength or aggressiveness, and are not able to handle combat situations.
Women have been participating in the United States military since the Revolutionary War, where they were nurses, maids, cooks and even spies. They played vital roles in order to keep those fighting on the front lines healthier, and even a more important role in keeping commanding officers informed with private information stolen from the other side. Although the Revolutionary War took play in 1776, the first law to be passed that permanently stated that women have an official place in the military was in 1948, almost one hundred and seventy-two years later. Since that time there has been a lack of true growth when it comes to integration of females in the military. In 1994, a law was passed that tried to prohibit women from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level. Women are excluded from more then 25% of active combat roles within the military and only in 2013 was the ban lifted which was the final barrier to allowing women into all active roles. This has been a huge step in the direction for women being considered as being equal but there are still challenges that women face within the military. Ranging from sexual assault, discrimination, bullying, and other tactics, it is clear that for many, the military is still a “boys club.”
After years of discussion and debate it appears that soon women will be sent into combat operations in the United States military. This is the way it should be because women are ready and competent to be put into combat roles in the U.S. military. Indeed, slowly but surely, the Defense Department and Congress have been inching towards a decision that will formalize the policy; in fact the National Defense Authorization Act, put before Congress in May, 2012 by U.S. Senators John McCain and Carl Levin will in effect order the military "…to come up with a plan to send women into battle" (McAuliff, 2012). Hopes are high that this will be approved by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Throughout our nation’s history, women have played an important role in the military. It has not been until recently however, that women have been able to fully
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