Women in Combat- A Policy Paradox for Commanders
Abstract
Even though Congress repealed statutes from 1948 that excluded women from serving in combat, the Secretary of Defense's combat exclusion policy restricts the use of women in the military. Commanders are at risk of violating this policy as they assign women to areas of responsibility in Iraq and Afghanistan. With 15% of the US military comprised of women - and given the current operational and personnel tempos ? it is imperative for commanders to have policies that allow maximum effective utilization of all military members to accomplish their missions. This is a case of combat capabilities. Reports from the battlefields describe an enemy who is not easily distinguishable from the civilian population and who fights and kills without discrimination. The combat exclusion policy does not meet the needs of the nation and the combatant commanders. Given current significant resource constraints and unprecedented pressure on the military, now is exactly the time to notify Congress that DoD plans to rescind the combat exclusion policy. The Secretary of Defense must use this sense of urgency to persuade an attentive Congress to make this policy change that will allow maximum utilization of all human resources in fighting our nation's wars.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA520008
Entities
People
- Sharon M. Johnson
Organizations
- United States Army War College