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FirstName LastName
Prof. Manley
EN 102
08 Apr. 2015

Alvarez, Lizette. "G.I. Jane Breaks the Combat Barrier." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 15 Aug. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Specialist Veronica Alfaro has experienced all aspects of war as a medic. She had
received a Bronze Star for attempting to save a wounded driver in the midst of enemy fire; this
was after already being awarded a combat action badge for fending off insurgents as a machine
gunner. She is one of many women who have proven their ability to be effective in combat, yet
women are still not officially allowed to join combat arms. Poll numbers show that the majority
of the public population support women in allowing them to do more on the battlefield. However
there are still concerns about sexual harassment and unfair physical requirements. Women
continue to neutralize these fears with their actions. There have been several occasions in which
the war in Iraq and Afghanistan got to the point where commanders needed more soldiers and a
different approach to fighting. It is in these circumstances that gender barriers have either been
stretched or even erased. Studies show that women show the same amounts of post-traumatic
stress as men, and Americans react to the deaths of female soldiers the same as they do with
men, though many more men die in action than women do. Even though women make up a
smaller percentage of the top military ranks, over 57 have been serving as generals and admirals,
and last year there was the first female four star general, which is the highest ranking officer
there is. Many more women lead all-male platoons into combat. The rules for what jobs women

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can and cant have in the military seem contradictory. They can walk the streets of Iraq as a
military police officer, but not as an infantryman. They can lead combat engineers into battle, but
cannot fight beside them. Yet these women who take on these jobs continuously prove that they
are capable of doing the job. The majority of women doesnt have much interest in joining the
infantry, but would rather work in artillery and armor units. War times are changing, and the
military is going to do what it has to do, and many feel as though the military needs to put
women in combat.
This article is a few years old; however the information is still very valuable. It shows
how much women contribute to combat units and the military in general. The things many
people argue women would struggle with have already been done. There are so many acts of
valor completed by women that so many people dont know about because women arent always
getting the recognition they deserve. I can use this information to prove the point of how capable
women are in combat and how effective and crucial it is to have them in combat. The quotes in
this summary support my argument, and they come from high-ranking men who have served
with women themselves. Also, this article helps me bring out how the rules against letting
women join combat arms doesnt make sense, like how women can lead all-male platoons into
battle but cant fight among them.
Barry, Ben. "Women In Combat." Survival (00396338) 55.2 (2013): 19-30. Military &
Government Collection. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
For the majority of history, the military has had the tendency of excluding women, other
than medical roles. A risk rule was put in place in the 1990s which ended up being replaced by
the Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule, which states that women shall be
excluded from the assignment to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to

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engage in direct combat on the ground. Though this rule gave women a broader pool of MOSs, it
still restricted them from infantry, artillery, and Special Forces. Now with the discussion of the
elimination of this rule, the military is considering a revision in this rule, which would open
positions at the battalion level of combat units. There are many details that must be worked out
before anything can be final. The adaptation for women in to all male units will be difficult
which affects the safety and well-being of all those involved.
The article is based on the insights on the elimination of the direct ground combat
exclusion rule for women that was announced by the U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and
General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on January 24, 2013. The author
mentions that the announcement of Panetta and Dempsey has triggered media speculation that all
the barriers to women who are serving the U.S. military would be immediately lifted. Moreover,
he also discusses the Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule which excluded women
from infantry, artillery, and Special Forces. This article is important in my research because it
explains a lot of the policies that are in place that limits women and their significance.
Brennan, Thomas James. "Women in Combat? Some Marines React." At War Women in
Combat Some Marines React Comments. N.p., 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.
The Marine Corps is the branch that is really implementing the changes of allowing
women to try out for infantry positions. With this fact, current infantrymen begin to fear more
and more as these changes become permanent, and they will be forced to fight among women on
the battlefield. They already deal with so much hardship and misery out on deployments, and
many feel that there is more at stake than opportunity and political correctness. Being an
infantryman is so much more than uncomfortable living conditions and high physical fitness
standards. Male Marines feel they will react much differently to a woman being wounded or

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killed rather than a male. Some feel as though they will subconsciously look out for the woman
on his left more than the man on his right. Other concerns lie with the physical fitness standards;
many Marines feel as though the standards should be equal, and that the majority of women
cannot complete the vigorous events that may come up in battle. They argue that the infantry
isnt for everyone, male or female, and that if women are going to join the ranks of the infantry,
they must be cut out for it.
This article shows some of the concerns and counterarguments that could be beneficial to
showing both sides of my argument. This could potentially diminish some of the bias that could
be detected in my paper. The author is a former Marine and argues the concerns he has with
women in the infantry, and they are valid excuses.
Cox, Matthew, and Michael Hoffman. "Female Marines Make History at Infantry Training."
Military.com. N.p., 21 Nov. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.
The Marine Corps is the branch that is most actively taking the steps to integrate women
into the combat aspects of the military. They allow both enlisted and officer female Marines to
go through the Marine Corps Infantry Training Battalion and Officer Infantry Courses. Though
none have yet to pass the OIC, three have graduated the ITB. Those three females have
represented a major step forward the U.S. Military introducing women to combat roles. The
Marine Corps began allowing females to go through the Infantry Training Battalion course as
part of a research effort that will guide the service's decision on whether to allow women into a
number of combat arms jobs. Though three women have successfully graduated from the course,
this doesnt mean they are officially in the infantry. They dont get the MOS, they get a tracking
number that will stay in their personal records and will also be a part of an ongoing research
effort.

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This article will serve as some of my fact-based research. Because the Marine Corps are
first in the effort to integrate women into the military, I will have a good place to start. The fact
that three women have graduated from the course with the same physical standards as their male
counterparts will act as a counterargument to the idea that women are incapable of passing these
types of courses without the standards being altered. The Marines are known on their toughness
and high physical ability, so the fact that females have passed the infantry course for this specific
branch speaks volumes.
Egnell, Robert. "Women in Battle." Gender Perspectives and Fighting (n.d.): n. pag. Strategic
Studies Institute. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Many fears that come with women being integrated into combat stems from two general
assumptions: the existing structure and culture in the armed forces are well adapted to the
requirements of combat; and politically imposed change is harmful to the professionalism and
effectiveness of the military. The concerns of this change widely differ from branch to branch
and individual and individual. By challenging the ideas that women are generally not fit for war
and the inclusion of women and gender perspectives will change the organizations combat
culture, the traditional truths about the nature of unit cohesion and combat effectiveness can be
examined. Doing so can maximize the effectiveness of the military in a changing environment.
This article directly challenges the fears that come with the generalizations that women
are not fit for combat and that they will only harm combat effectiveness. The main idea behind
those who are against women in combat arms is that there is no need to fix something that is not
broken. They tend to realize that women only continue to help move the military in the right
direction. This article is going to be very useful to my research paper because it has a strong

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argument that coincides with mine. It takes the generalizations and assumptions that come with
women in combat and demolishes them with facts and evidence to back it up.
Johnson, Kathy. "Women in Combat: History and Future | The Military Law Task Force." The
Military Law Task Force RSS. N.p., 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Women have been serving the military since the revolutionary war. They began as nurses
and cooks, and many disguised themselves as men so they could fight alongside them in combat.
Several other countries have already accessed women to combat roles, including Denmark,
Sweden, and Norway. The United States has been pressured to initiate this change for decades by
lawsuits and public support for equality. Many female soldiers argued that even in the military
they are treated as second class citizens and that sex discrimination leads to a hostile workplace
for women and tolerance for sexual harassment, assault and rape. The excuses that come with
allowing women to fight on the front lines come with their physical abilities and the strain they
could cause on unit cohesion.
This article briefly describes the impact women have had on the military from the
beginning. The history provided in this source provides facts and background information that I
can include in my paper. This source will be more used as something to help me add substance
and generate different ideas on the topic. It outlines the general assumptions and fears people
have with women in combat arms and how military personnel plan to respond.
Katt, Megan. "Blurred Lines." JFQ: Joint Force Quarterly 75 (2014): 106-113. Military &
Government Collection. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
Allowing women in to combat is a very controversial topic. Regardless of their MOS,
many women have found themselves in combat situations. Womens roles in the military has
evolved over time, however they are still limited by the DODs Combat Exclusion Policy, which

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restricts the assignment of women to units below the brigade level whose primary mission was to
engage in direct ground combat. However, even with this policy in place, women have
increasingly been allowed to serve in combat support roles, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. It
was there that women have been especially helpful with communicating with civilians in other
countries and helping with security by searching women and children for explosives or
contraband. With the culture in other countries, the women there are more or less off limits to
male soldiers, therefore female soldiers are especially useful. Both men and women have fought
and died in combat situations, therefore it is up to the military to decide if they want to utilize the
several skills and opportunities female servicemen have to offer.
This article is current and focuses a lot on the benefits women have brought to combat.
Women can easily prevent many deaths overseas by providing security. In Afghan culture,
women have little to no rights, so they are basically off limits to all men other than their
husbands and fathers. Many men disguise themselves as women to avoid contact. With women
integrated in combat units, they can search all women and children without an issue. Both parties
will feel more comfortable and bombs or any kind of contraband can be detected and confiscated
before it could be used, thus saving many potential lives both on the military and civilian side.
Having facts like this will help my argument that women in combat can make combat more
effective and will move the military in the right direction.
MacKenzie, Megan H. "Let Women Fight." Global. Council on Foreign Relations Inc., 23 Jan.
2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
Not only has the ban on women in combat affected how they can and cant serve, it also
affects their career paths and how they are promoted. The ban is largely irrelevant as the impact
women have had in battle over the last decade is undeniable. By changing the policy, the military

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is finally recognizing women for their contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan. They receive
support from several military leaders and even the view of the public has changed. There are
many who are unsupportive, saying that women do not have the physical capability to survive in
war and just simply do not belong in combat. Yet these arguments do not stand up to current data
on womens performance in combat. Banning women from combat does not ensure unit cohesion
and military effectiveness; it stands for stereotypes and inequality. The assignment of women to
combat related tasks has further undermined the strength of the ban. Women can and will
continue to improve the military by offering their skills and diversity to the unit.
This article has a very strong argument supporting women in combat roles. The author
makes it clear that women belong on the battlefield and all arguments against hers have already
been undermined by the actions of several military women who have defied the odds. It speaks
of the kinds of changes needed in order for women to be effectively integrated into combat units.
This article is going to be useful because it is very detailed and gives both and argument and
counterargument so I can really see both sides of the topic. It also contains a little bit of history
with the contributions women have had in the military and how they have helped it.
Myers, Steven Lee. "Living and Fighting Alongside Men, and Fitting In." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 16 Aug. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
There are several down-sides to men and women being stationed together on
deployments. Its a known fact that soldiers are going to have sex on outposts across Iraq, which
is proven by the shortage in birth control and condoms. Even so, a womans contribution is
needed in the war efforts, and the military is definitely not gender blind. Sexual harassments still
exists more than expected, though precautions are taken by having women travel in pairs, and
allow them to carry weapons such as pocket knives and mace. Some women explain what its

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like living in a male dominant environment, saying they are all seen the same way; they are all
stereotyped. Despite their gender and marital status, they do the same job as the men they work
among. The engagement of women and men is inevitable, how they deal with it is a matter of
maturity and professionalism. Women adapt as they are exposed to different situations, and
continue to make positive changes to the military as time goes by.
This article is more based on the sexual and gender-based aspects of the military. Women
go through different types of sexual harassment, whether its physical or mental. Just like the
military itself has to adapt, soldiers do too. I plan on using this information to prove how
important womens contributions are in the battlefield despite the sexual tension that exists on
posts like the one described in the article. I also want to prove the point that women go through
so much on the mental side and still do their jobs efficiently. This disproves the counterargument
that women cant handle the mental strain war would have on them. Men dont have to worry
about being the minority and seen as bitches, sluts, or dykes and nothing more. Even with the
hardships women face on post they are just as, if not more, effective in battle.
Nicolas, Ashley. "What The Female Engagement Team Experience Can Teach Us About The
Future Of Women In Combat." Military Review 95.2 (2015): 56-61. Military &
Government Collection. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
Women in combat is more than an equality battle, or a decision in whether or not women
are capable, the issue is that modern warfare requires women to be an integral part of combat.
The necessity of women in combat has been proven over the last decade of war. From Lioness
teams to Female Engagement Teams (EGTs), women have proven useful to units in the Army,
Special Forces, and the Marine Corps during several combat operations. The current operational
environment presents an enemy who uses lack of women in U.S. combat arms as a tactical

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weakness. There is a strong argument for the presence of women in a separate engager
military occupational specialty (MOS) specifically designed to fit within infantry units. This
MOS would be designed to satisfy the need that has been identified by taking the most qualified
women who meet both the physical and mental standards of the infantry but also satisfactorily
complete additional training to address the unique role that women would play in these units.
Regardless of how it is done, the need for women in combat is undeniable. The military needs to
continue to prepare for situations in which women will play a key role in engaging with the
population, interfacing with leaders, and satisfying a tactical necessity.
This article goes in depth about female engagement teams and their effects in combat. It
really proves the role women have in combat now even though they are still technically limited
from true combat roles. It also had a few ideas on how the military might integrate women into
combat, such as giving females a specific MOS that satisfies the combat role and keeps the
integration smooth and tactically sound. It also discusses the importance of creating
opportunities for women. Overall this article will be useful in explaining how women will
continue to benefit the military.