Women in Combat: It's Time to Move into the 21st Century

Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps

President Obama noted that now, “Women who can meet the high standards required will have new opportunities to serve.”  Going forward, the key to implementing this policy will be to continue the plans for full integration but to also maintain the high standards for our elite military units.  This simple premise has often been misunderstood.  To actually lower standards to meet a pre-determined quota of women in a certain unit would be unequivocally detrimental to combat effectiveness.  Senior military leaders agree.  The Secretary of Defense has reiterated this important principle and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said, “Regardless of gender, if you don’t meet the standards, you shouldn’t be in the job.” 

Whenever a society deals with change, there is inherent resistance.  After all, women serving in the military is still relatively new.  During World War II, nearly 400,000 women served either in or with the U.S. Armed Forces including over 1,000 who served as Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs.  Yet progress is often slow.  Although women served in a variety of assignments during World War II, the service academies didn’t open their doors to women until 1976, and Congress only authorized women to fly missions in combat aircraft in 1991, to serve on combat ships in 1993, and to serve on submarines in 2010.  At each of these junctures there were those who said that women did not belong, that they would weaken the military, and that they would ultimately compromise combat effectiveness.  And at each juncture, the detractors were proved wrong.  Not only did women meet and exceed the standards, but the U.S. military became a stronger and more effective fighting force. 

Another contentious and often misunderstood topic is how the lifting of the combat exclusion policy will impact the selective service, or more colloquially known as “the draft.”  One of the greatest strengths of the United States is our all-volunteer force.  The fact that we have young men and women willing to raise their right hand and put themselves in harm’s way is one of the great hallmarks of our nation.  It is also important to note that the last time the draft was implemented was during the Vietnam War.  During the last decade and a half, with ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, there was never a serious discussion, or need, to institute the draft.  Even today, services are downsizing and turning away qualified individuals.  Barring some World War III scenario in the future, where the United States needs every able-bodied person available, the draft will never be instituted.  And even if there were a draft, it would still be standards-based to determine who was qualified to serve in specific positions.  The hypothetical hyperbole about the government forcing women into combat is as misleading as it is untrue. 

That being said, if the United States is going to continue to require all men to register for selective service, which they must do when they turn 18, then all women should be required to register as well.  It appears that this may already be in the works as the House Armed Services Committee voted on April 27th to add an amendment to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require women to register for the draft.  We cannot have a society that expects more of its sons than its daughters.  Instead, we must have a society that continues to value patriotism, honors sacrifice, and embraces equality in all respects. 

Critics have said that allowing women to serve in combat and as part of elite special operations forces is just an extension of political correctness and social experiments run amok.  This has nothing to do with political correctness.  This is not politically correct, it’s just correct.  The questions we as a country have to answer are: Do we want the most talented and effective military, or not?  Do we stand for equality, or not?  Will we continue to lead the world, or not? How we reconcile the answers to these questions will determine the future combat effectiveness of the U.S. military.

Secretary Ash Carter noted that, “When I became Secretary of Defense, I made a commitment to building America’s force of the future…In the 21st century that requires drawing strength from the broadest possible pool of talent.  This includes women.”  Making these positions open to women increases the pool of talent that can be drawn from to fill vital positions and will ultimately make the military stronger. Allowing anyone to compete for elite jobs in the military regardless of their race, creed, or gender is absolutely essential.  In the same breadth, it is inherently critical to not lower the standards.  Lowering validated gender-neutral occupational standards for short-term political gain would undermine the readiness of the force, our servicemembers, and the women who seek to serve their country and not be undercut by the perception that they only got to their present position because of lowered standards. 

The U.S. military is the ultimate meritocracy where an individual is measured purely by their ability.  Now, thanks to the repeal of the combat exclusion policy and the opening of all military positions, everyone will have access to the same opportunities regardless of race, creed, or gender.  We still have work to do, but let us begin.  Welcome to the 21st century.

Andrew Poulin is a Naval Officer currently assigned to the State Department. The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Department of State.