Women During Military Combat Positions

Women have been fighting alongside men on battlefields for centuries upon centuries, giving their greatest fight to lead their team to victory. Although women are given this opportunity, direct ground combat amongst women remains against the law till this very day, allowing a gender to define what a female can, or cannot do. The human race continues to evolve every day, yet a simple discriminatory law that decides what a woman’s capabilities are without being aware of just how empowering that specific woman is is the same as it first was. Despite the idea that women do not meet certain requirements in order to take place in combat units, women continue to provide an endless amount of support to men on battlefields, bringing a completely

Uniting both male and female service members despite the different tasks each one faces, is one of the goals Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield, faces to elaborate. The preface opens up by listing the set of events Second Lieutenant Ashley White completed before going out on a mission that would not only change her life but many female personnel serving for the United States Armed Forces as well. Other then uniting military personnel, another major goal or theme is educating the reader of affairs usually not displayed on the news. From my perspective, Lemmon had taught me something that I probably wouldn’t have found out, if it weren’t for this book. I have always been under the impression that women can’t serve on the frontline, but this is not until the introduction of Cultural Support Teams, or better known as CST’s. Using both a pathos and logos approach the author introduces some of the first females to make a change in combat history. In the end the author makes a clear statement to the public and male service members that women are competent both mentally and physically to serve on a Special Operations Mission.

The argument against women serving in the elite navy seal units is that women are not able to meet the physical standards that are required by the Special Forces. Reports in basic training has shown that women are able to meet and exceed the swimming, running and push-ups when they are placed in advanced divisions. A second argument that is made is that the price tag to send women to Basic Underwater Demolition School or buds, would cost millions of dollars a year. The answer to this argument is to change the training pipeline to mirror the men. Before any male is sent to Buds, they must pass pre-buds in basic training. If the trainee doesn’t pass pre-buds they are reassigned into another job or discharged from active duty. Women have served in combat roles for the last 25 years, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it’s time to give them the opportunity to serve as navy seals by striking down outdates restrictions and perceptions of women

Many countries such as Israel and Russia have allowed women to serve in combat roles in the military; however, this has not always been true in the United States. Throughout history, women have had an active role in war time. The United States has documented cases of women disguising themselves as men in order to participate in combat as far back as the Civil War. It would seem that women have as much desire to serve as men, but in what capacity? This is a question that not only the United States has struggled with, but is a continuing debate around the world. Today, we see many more opportunities for women to fully serve with their male counterparts in countries like Israel and Russia. The United States has conducted research into the effectiveness of expanding the role of women into combat. Women have proven that they are able to withstand the demands of military life and the United States Army recently had two female Army Rangers graduate. But to understand where we are now, we must look back on how this increased confidence in females in the Service began. Possibly, the greatest and most visible contributions were during World War II.

A researcher and writer of women in security roles, published author and lecturer at the University of Sydney. Dr. Megan H Mackenzie, wrote “Let Women Fight,” published in 2012 in Foreign Affairs. Mackenzie argues that despite popular belief in the United States women can indeed serve in combat roles next to men. Mackenzie begins by addressing some issues she has with the proponents citing research and statistics, while also appealing to ethos and logos. The tone that Mackenzie uses as well as the credible sources and appeals to the audience led me to believe the persuasive elements.

Due to the expected integration of women into combat roles, the Marine Corps trained 233 female Marines in Marine Corps infantry and other ground combat schools (Michaels). Of those 233, less than half passed the minimum requirement of pull-ups (AP). In 1994 the “Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule” was installed to remove women from direct combat roles (Hovey). In the time since, social justice groups have fought for equality for women, the LGBT community, and minority groups concerning multiple issues. Many issues arose from the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule, but the military has not suffered for the decision. The current issue is women in combat roles. The forced integration of women into combat specific roles is detrimental to overall combat effectiveness. The nature of the push to move women into combat specific roles forces those making the decisions into employing whatever means are necessary to achieve the desired level of integration.

In U.S. Military print media, Stars and Stripes, article Women in combat hampered by band-of-brothers myth, author says, reporter Wyatt Olson provides book author, Megan MacKenzie’s quote by quote reasoning of how the ‘Band of Brothers’ ideology is the primary reason woman are being excluded from serving in ground combat roles while highlighting her attempt to marginalize the enduring arguments about not integrating women. In MacKenzie’s book, Beyond the Band of Brothers: The U.S. Military and the Myth that Women Can’t Fight, she argues physical standards are a diversion to a more basic injustice: gender inequality. Fundamentally, it is a cultural belief in the band of brothers’ myth and its androcentric attribute. She claims men are responsible

     Women have played a tremendous role in many countries' armed forces from the past to the present. Women have thoroughly integrated into the armed forces; all positions in the armed forces should be fully accessible to women who can compete with men intellectually and physically.

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

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.

In Women in the Military, Janette Mance explores the debates and problems faced by the increasing number of women involved in the military. After examining issues such as pregnancy, sexual harassment, and rape, Mance concludes that as a society we must continue to strive for gender equality.

“We are all equal; it is not birth but virtue alone that makes the difference.” This insightful quote from the famous French philosopher and historian “Voltaire” seems to accurately represent the beliefs of the factions of American citizens pushing to allow women to fight in combat positions within the US Armed Forces. Though the topic has just recently been boosted into the media and congressional politics, it has been long debated. A rather current editorial from USA Today titled: “Open Combat Positions to Women” outlines the recent developments in the status of a much disputed and controversial issue facing the nation today. Though somewhat less in-depth than some opposing opinions, the

Women have fought alongside men in the United States Military in every major battle since the American Revolution. The roles of women in the military have evolved over time to allow the incorporation of women in expanding military career fields. Women have proven themselves to be an asset to the military despite some of society believing women would weaken America’s military effectiveness. Today more than 200,000 women are active-duty military, this is about 14.5% of all military. Currently, women are involved in all branches of the Armed Forces; there are around 74,000 women in the Army, 62,000 in the Air Force, 53,000 in the Navy, and 14,000 in the Marine Corps (By the numbers: Women in the U.S. Military). Military women continue to