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Do Women Belong in Combat?

Do Women Belong in Combat?. A Senior Exhibition by Will Patton. Current Policies. Women banned from assignment to combat Women can fly attack helicopters and jets Women can serve on all navy vessels in support roles except submarines. History of Women in Military and Combat.

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Do Women Belong in Combat?

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  1. Do Women Belong in Combat? A Senior Exhibition by Will Patton

  2. Current Policies • Women banned from assignment to combat • Women can fly attack helicopters and jets • Women can serve on all navy vessels in support roles except submarines

  3. History of Women in Military and Combat • Women have always helped American war effort • Official exclusion is relatively new, Congress passed first exclusion law in 1948 • Draft ended and WAC disestablished • Secretary of Army exclusion policy in 1977 • Equal Rights Amendment fails in 1982 • 1982 development of DCPCS

  4. Positions Open to Women

  5. Physiological Differences • Armed Forces studies demonstrate male advantages: • Lean muscle mass • Upper body strength, leg strength, heavy lifting • Cardiovascular capacity • Stamina • Lower incidence of injury • Individual women may exceed average male performance • Aggregate ability most important

  6. Aggression and Cohesion • Males are traditionally the warriors • Crime statistics and biological evidence show more aggression in males • Cohesion formed with build-up of trust and belief in one another • Females may break down the fragile esprit de corps (spirit of the corps)

  7. Peacekeepers • New-era warfare uses new-era troops: peacekeepers • Women have adapted to this role nicely • Women can handle all adjustments to field service in peacekeeping role • However, peacekeeping is not direct combat

  8. Gender Integration • Can women be trained to be tougher or more physically capable? • U.S. Army attempt at gender integrated training from 1978-1982 • Women could not be trained to male standards • Also showed female over-emotionality in stressful situations

  9. Dual Standards? • Gender-integrated training reinstated in 1994 • Women now have separate standards • New lowered standards still show female emotionality in stressful situations

  10. New Warfare • New-era warfare • Women can be attacked behind front lines • Proponents of women in combat believe that this should allow women to also be included in front line combat

  11. Public Opinion • Main setback for women in combat is public opinion • Country does not welcome seeing women leave children and babies behind to fight wars • Public afraid of women dying or being POWs

  12. Do other Countries Use Women in Combat? • Countries have used women in combat in past wars • Today Israel, Canada, and several Scandinavian countries allow women to be in combat • Canada is only country that uses segregated units of women

  13. Pregnancy and Rape • Women are traditionally caregivers • Military cites male and female relationships and pregnancy as large factor in not including women in combat • Unknown if enemies will respect women; two female POWs during 1991 Gulf War were sexually abused

  14. Do Women Belong in Combat? • Physiological and psychological factors all point to no they should not • Combat too great a risk for women and the military

  15. The EndQuestions and Comments

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