Opening Marine Infantry to Women: A Civil Military Crisis
Abstract
In 2016, the secretary of defense directed all U.S. military Services to work toward the inclusion of women in all roles, including combat occupations. The United States Marine Corps has shown more resistance to this directive than other Services, particularly with respect to infantry. This article discusses the history and extent of the civil-military gap between the Marine Corps and American society and analyzes different dimensions of this gap. Using a framework that describes different drivers of military resistance to change, it argues that the nature of the civil-military gap in the Marine Corps makes mandated gender integration a multifaceted threat to the Corps identity and institutional culture and a greater threat than in other Services. The inclusion of women in infantry training is thus a crucial issue for the health of the civil-military relationship, as it pits effective civilian oversight against Service culture.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 12, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1068679
Entities
People
- Rebecca Jensen
Organizations
- Marine Corps University