Can female and male military personnel be combined without the military losing some of its effectiveness? Can women be as good at being soldiers, sailors, naval aviators and fighter pilots as men? Should women be allowed in the line of fire and in direct combat? What role should sexual harassment and fraternization play in the combination of women into the military? The real question, essentially, is whether or not women can serve in any military capacity at all.
The issue the United States faces at present is to decide for itself whether or not women should be allowed in combat.
As WWII broke out, sheer need, often the best equal opportunity employer, led to the creation of the Women’s Army Corps, the Navy’s Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service, the Coast Guard’s Semper Paratus: Always Ready, which is their motto.
In 1976, the three service academies; the United States Naval Academy, the United States Air Force Academy, and the United States Military Academy all accepted their first class of women.
In October 1997, the United States government dedicated a new memorial at the Arlington War Memorial in Arlington, VA. Named the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, it was the first national monument of its kind that, like Arlington itself, recognized those who fought and died in the protection of their country.
While women are now capable of being both enlisted personnel and officers in the military, a new question arises – should the role of women in the military finally be expanded to allow them to fight for their country in direct combat? Many experts argue that when it comes to women in the military, there are over-riding reasons why the proverbial line must be drawn when it comes to making women part of America’s combat force.
Among the reasons commonly cited for their belief that the nation’s defenses would suffer are: a belief that women are simply physically incapable of the tasks and strains that come along with combat, the risk of sexual misconduct that accompanies the combination in close proximity of young men and young women for long periods of time, the incalculable expense of accommodating women onboard combat vessels, and the risks and consequences of pregnancy.
A recently released science-fiction movie, Starship Troopers, portrayed a futuristic view of the Armed Forces, including a scene where men and women who were about to go into combat together even shared communal showers with no stigmatism whatsoever.
“Several men volunteered that objections from their wives to the introduction of women aboard ship could cause them to leave the Navy. One man said that although his marriage is secure, he would feel the same way if his wife’s job required her to be living in a closely confined workplace with all male workers for months at a time,”.
Unlike in society where a huge labor market is at your disposal, in the military it’s not always feasible to have a crew of all women working in the more specialized fields at any given time.
Another set of limitations to putting women on combat vessels are the considerable changes that would have to be made to accommodate them.
If women are allowed to volunteer for combat in the interests of fairness they also would have to be subject to mandatory deployment on the front lines.
There are a number of compelling reasons that people cite for women to be allowed in combat roles too, however.
Among the reasons they cite are: the fact that exclusion from combat impedes their chance of advancement in the ranks, studies that show women can train to be as fit as men, the success of combined units here and in other nations, and the insistence that readiness actually increases when a new pool of applicants exists.
“There are approximately 20% more women than men in the four lowest pay grades, and men outnumber women in the four highest pay grades eight to one,”.
A recent study actually showed that contrary to popular belief, women can train to be as strong as men.
“Russian women served in combat in World War II where they flew anti-aircraft planes made of plywood and fabric with no parachutes. They volunteered as bombers and fighter pilots, navigator-bombardiers, gunners, and support crews,”.
Similar stories of bravery come from the Israeli army where women have bravely fought shoulder to shoulder with men in that country’s ongoing battles in the Middle East.
Probably the most convincing argument in favor of allowing women to compete for combat positions is the inherent nature of competition.
The Department of Defense recently removed its “Substantial risk” clause from its definition of what exactly combat was- that is that just because a woman will be at risk of capture does not mean she cannot fill a position, and as a result today in the Air Force 99.7% of positions are open to women as are 91% of positions in the Navy are open,.
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