Women in Combat: Standardize the Physical Fitness Test

摘要

In 1994, after receiving a report from the Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women to the Armed Forces, Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Leslie Aspin redefined the Department of Defense (DoD) assignment policy for women in the military. The policy has not seen significant change since then. However, with the increased involvement of females in the Global War on Terrorism, this policy has come under scrutiny by groups such as the Center for Military Readiness (CMR). That organization's president, Elaine Donnelly, was a member of the Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women to the Armed Forces and has accused the military of being in violation of the DoD policy put in place in 1994. She alleges that the placement or 'collocation' of female soldiers in units designated as 'all male combat units' is a violation of the DoD policy that was overlooked by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and continues to be overlooked by the current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. The necessity of women in combat units is evidence that the DoD policy on the assignment of women needs to be modified. It is imperative that the Marine Corps initiate a program to physically prepare female Marines for this integration into all Military Occupational Specialties (MOS). The Corps must consider gender integration to be one of its key challenges in the near future. The Corps needs to establish a single standard for physical fitness regardless of gender. Allowing women who meet the mental and physical combat requirements of the Marine Corps to serve in any military occupational specialty will ensure that the military of the future fulfills the expectations of our nation.