By Christopher Castellano:
It hasn’t been long since it was ordered that all jobs that remained closed to women in the United States military be opened to them. President Trump has stated in the past that he would like to “do away with political correctness in the military,” and has mentioned a desire to roll back some of President Obama’s military personnel changes. As his presidency gets underway, many are wondering what the new administration will do in regards to women serving in combat roles.
The issue of which jobs should be open to women in the military remains a hot issue for its members, particularly those serving in combat arms units. Women have distinguished themselves in combat before, but have done so while serving in support positions, such as military police and transportation.
In 1989, Captain Linda Bray became the first woman to lead American troops in combat when she led a military police company into a small arms engagement with Panamanian troops during Operation Just Cause. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, many women saw combat and two were captured by Iraqi forces. The Global War on Terror has seen exponential growth in the contribution of female troops and the amount of combat they have experienced. Over 160 have been killed, with nearly 1,000 wounded, and they have accompanied male soldiers and marines on countless patrols and direct action missions.
In 2015, all jobs in the infantry, armor, artillery, and special operations forces were opened to women. This meant that there would no longer be any restrictions on what roles women could perform in the armed forces and that they could at any point be called upon to engage in direct combat with the enemy. It meant women could be sent to remote combat outposts with small squads and platoons made up almost entirely of male soldiers, with little to no privacy.
The move was applauded by many on the left but has been met with some heavy criticism from within the military itself. With a new administration now in office, the focus turns to what will happen next. Will the policy be reversed? President Trump’s Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, has signaled in the past that he is less than impressed by the idea of women serving in combat. The retired Marine General has mentioned that he is concerned about whether male commanders would send women into dangerous situations, and if women were suited for the nature of “intimate killing” that is a part of close combat.
Concerns about women serving in combat units have been wide ranging but tend to focus primarily on two key areas: physical standards and unit cohesion. There are legitimate concerns about the lowering of physical standards to allow women to serve in combat arms military occupational specialties, particularly those in special operations. If a woman does meet the standard, many servicemen currently serving in special operations have voiced concerns over a female’s ability to pull a male out of a dangerous situation with body armor and full kit. It’s no secret that there are huge physiological differences between men and women that put female troops at a tremendous disadvantage in both strength and endurance. Both attributes are incredibly important on the battlefield and may mean the difference between life and death for both the individual and the other members of their unit.
Unit cohesion is a key component of the fabric that makes up the special operations community, and plays a massive role in the success of missions carried out by all combat arms units when they are deployed. Many troops feel that adding a female to predominantly male combat units will be a distraction and could cause issues between members of the same unit. Male troops would be distracted by the presence of a female, at least some would undoubtedly compete for her affection, and they would feel obligated to do more to protect her while engaged in combat. The psychological effect of seeing an injured woman has also been documented as having a larger impact on a male’s ability to focus on their job, and it would thus be detrimental to completing missions should a female be wounded.
According to a survey conducted by the Rand National Defense Research Institute in 2014, over 7,000 SEALs, Green Berets, Rangers and other special operations troops were asked about their opinions and concerns over women serving in units and performing similar jobs to their own. According to the survey, 85% opposed allowing women to hold their military occupational specialty, while 71% opposed allowing them to serve in their units.
The rules that have opened combat jobs to women can easily be reversed by Mattis if he chooses to do so. Despite what Mattis has said in the past, it still remains unclear if he would roll back any of the Obama Administration’s changes to military personnel policies. Mattis has said in recent weeks that “the standards are the standards and when people meet the standards, that’s the end of the discussion on that” when asked about his thoughts on women in combat. Should Trump or Mattis decide that a reversal is appropriate, we can expect a heavy amount of resistance from Democrats. Look for more on this issue in the coming weeks.
Christopher Castellano is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. He currently serves as a firefighter in New York City.
