Women in Combat: An Army for All

Women have now been allowed to serve in combat units in the armed forces of the United States of America. This isn’t to say that women haven’t already been serving in combat roles already; thousands of women have fought alongside their male counterparts in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Many have been wounded or killed as a result of their combat roles. Now, women will be allowed to join units whose primary role is taking the fight to the enemy. I think that is about time women were included. I also recognize some of the arguments against their inclusion. I will explore some of them in this essay. In order for the integration women into combat units to be effective, 3 things must change: military standards must be equalized, institutional mindsets must change and cultural views must be modernized.

So, what’s the big deal? Why make such a fuss over women serving in combat units? Women have been in almost every other part of the military for a long time. Why all of this push-back? They say women aren’t strong enough. If a Marine or Army Infantryman is injured on the battlefield, the average woman would not be able to pick him up and carry him to safety.  Or a woman would not be able to carry all of the necessary combat gear (weapons, ammunition, ruck sack, etc.) unaided. I even heard a talking head on an NPR show this week say that since we don’t allow women to play football, we shouldn’t allow them to be in combat units. In other words, a female can’t hold her own in a head-to-head match up with a male.

The other argument against females serving in combat units is the issue of distraction. As the argument goes, males will be distracted from their mission simply by the presence of a female. A male would want to help a woman with her equipment; he will focus more of his attention on her, to the detriment of the mission. Chivalry will win out over professionalism.

The last argument against females in combat units is not one that I have heard or read. But, I can sense it becoming an issue as the new policy is implemented. The issue is that of sexual harassment and sexual assaults in the military. As a former Equal Opportunity Non-Commissioned Officer for the 145^th Surface Maintenance Company, I was charged with training and recommending action on cases involving sexual harassment. I was not involved in cases of sexual assault, because sexual assault is a crime and therefore would be investigated by military law enforcement. Instances of sexual harassment often go unreported in the military because many victims feel that nothing will come of the report. Often there is no hard evidence; it’s a “he said-she said” thing.  Similar reasons are cited for the under-reporting of sexual assaults. So if women are allowed to serve on the “front lines”, how much more difficult will it be for a victim of a sexual assault or sexual harassment to prove her case if the alleged incident occurred in the field, away from the prying eyes of the Uniform Code of Military Justice? A related concern is the issue of torture. It would be a stain on America’s psyche if a female is captured by the enemy and subjected to torture. If the enemy employs any of the tactics used in Rwanda or in Sudan against women on our females, it would be a hard sight to bear.

One Standard

Ok, now that I have listed the main arguments, let me shoot them down. Forgive the pun. Women aren’t strong enough, you say. Point taken. Generally speaking, men have more upper body strength than women.  But, as any Bruce Lee fan will tell you, there is more to overpowering your enemy than brute force. But since our issue concerns brute force, let’s talk about it.  When I was going through basic training, I met a woman who could do 80 push ups in 2 minutes. Meanwhile I was shaking like a leaf at 60. So if she could meet or exceed the standard, why not allow her to serve in combat? Women can meet the standard. Not all women, certainly. But not every man can meet the standard either. It is wrong to exclude and entire class of people because a portion may not be up to the task. They tried to exclude black people from combat missions, too. But the Tuskegee Airmen and countless other brave African Americans proved than skin color is unrelated to military skill. I would argue that gender, too, has no bearing on military skill.

In order for a female’s skill to be tested, there must be a standard to measure it against. This standard cannot be arbitrary or lessened in any way. In order for women to be effectively integrated into combat units, there needs to be 1 standard. The military must do away with separate physical standards for women. If a certain amount of strength, prowess and intelligence is needed to effectively perform a soldiering function, then that level of strength should be required for all candidates. Those who are able to meet the standard will be seen as more than female or male; they will become warriors.

 Institutional Mindset

Seeing women as warriors instead of damsels in distress will take some effort on the part of the military. When I was in Korea on one of my unit’s field exercises, I walked back into the tent to warm up after getting some chow. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the tent to find my male squad leader massaging to feet of one of the squad members. He tried to play it off by asking if I wanted my feet massaged too. “Hell no!!” Would he have offered to massage my feet had she not been there? I think not. Throughout my military experience, the women were the last to be placed on guard duty. If they were on guard duty, it was during the day, usually near heat or air conditioning. I sound like a hater. But, a combat unit in the thick of a fight requires that every member of the team pull their weight. If a team member needs help, the other members will help. But that help should not be given because of the perceived weakness of the individual. Even in Iraq, there were female soldiers who went on convoys without complaint. They were warriors, ready to go; locked, cocked and ready to rock. There are more women like them in the armed services; they should be given a chance to show the world what they can do. For that to happen, members of the armed services have to change their mindset.

This also means, stronger policies regarding sexual crimes against women.  As mentioned earlier, addressing accusations of sexual harassment and assault are hard enough in garrison. It will more difficult with women in combat units in the field. Leaders have to instill in their subordinates and sense that women are equal members and integral parts of the team and should not be disrespected, objectified, harassed or assaulted. Punishment for such actions must be swift and harsh. If the mindset can be changed, the culture will also be changed. This change however, can only come from top brass.

Cultural Views

It’s hard to know how society at large would react to an instance of a female member of a combat unit captured by the enemy and trapped behind enemy lines. But the story of Jessica Lynch can give us an idea. As you may recall, Jessica’s convoy was attacked in Iraq in 2003 and she was captured and reportedly tortured by the enemy. She was part of maintenance unit; not a front line combat unit. In 2003 you couldn’t turn on the TV without hearing about Jessica Lynch. Could our country support the possibility of more incidents of female soldiers being subjected to torture by the enemy? Is that the reason some in America oppose females in combat units? If so, then the problem is with us, not the female soldiers. The mindset of wanting to be protective of females leads to making decisions for them. That type of thinking is a societal problem, not one that women should carry.

Summary

African Americans, homosexuals, and women have a history of having arbitrary limitations placed upon them. They have all been told that their presence in the military would have some detrimental effect that never materialized. Yes, the presence of women in combat units will require some adjustments. Standards, internal culture and societal norms would have to change. Policies would have to formulated to address issues that currently don’t pose a problem. But those potential issues are minor and should not be used as an excuse to prevent able bodied, motivated women from serving alongside men. Any problem with women serving in combat units lies with the rest of us, not with women.  If they want to fight, let them fight!