Woman's Place Is In...the Army. Implications of Expanding Roles for Women on Future Defense Policy

摘要

The issue of women serving in the Armed Forces and, particularly, of their place in combat, has long been an emotional one. It is largely emotional because it is a story of the integration of women into military culture, a traditionally male domain. Like that of the first women struggling to be doctors and lawyers, it was and is the story of a woman's 'place.' The issue was and is that of the role of women in American society 'These forms of segregation are not the product of considerations peculiar to the military, they grow out of the same cultural and political origins that produce discrimination in civilian society.' Given that the number of women in the Services stands at an all time high, and that women continue to join in ever increasing numbers, I propose that their expanding roles will have serious implications for future defense policy I will review what I believe to be key events of this decade, and then examine some of those implications and how they may change the way we think about personnel utilization. While the issues affect women in all Services, I will focus on the Army because I submit that it is the image of a soldier in combat boots that most readily comes to mind when discussing the role of women in the military, and particularly in combat. It is also the Army that has been the focus of the most recent sexual harassment incidents to gain the attention of the American public. Lastly, as an Army officer, it is my own experience base.