Posted on Apr 6, 2018
The boot camp gender divide: The case for co-ed training
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So we should have integrated the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL 20 years ago, too, right? There is a REASON why we separate boys and girls for competitive athletics beginning around the ages of 12-13; boys and girls are different. Men and women are different as well. History is full of segregated combat units and stories, some successful, others not. But do standards make or break a Marine? Not usually. What makes or breaks a Marine is combat. Trial by fire, however is foolish and negligent. Training needs to become more sophisticated. Virtual reality, tactics and strategy simulations, "Leadership" challenge courses all can contribute to preparing troops for battle, the real goal of basic training or boot camp. Also, if segregated units of females were allowed to design and use weapons, uniforms, supplies and other equipment for use specifically by females just watch how innovative and creative they can be. I would wager that separate units for males and females would produce the orneriest, most effective units ever seen, especially if they were told that at the end of boot camp they would compete in authentic military training scenarios, they would go crazy for it. The best female athletes in the world can beat most men. Given the opportunity I believe an all-female unit could compete with and potentially beat an all-male unit. What would that tell us about how we should go about accommodating a female's desire to fight for her country? It would be mission driven. The needs of the military outweigh the needs of the individual. There can be no compromising victory for political correctness.
The boot camp gender divide: The case for co-ed training
Posted from marinecorpstimes.com
Women in the Military
Combat
Training
Posted 6 y ago
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When I was at USAF OTS at Lackland, the barracks were joint, hough I can't quite recall now whether females had a separate wing, however, all the flights had male and female OTs, actually, as I think furthere, when I was recycled to a second class, the new barracks I was moved to did in fact have males and females on the sa!e floor, hough, of course, the facilities were obviously separate, certainly. I just thought I'd mention that, just to give some !measure of perspective. Also, the faculty were both male and female, at all levels, from what I could observe, in both classes I went through, many thanks.
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MAJ Montgomery Granger You hit the nail on the head with your statement that needs of the military outweigh the needs of the individual. What we've seen over the past several years has me concerned that we often play to identity politics and wanting our five seconds of fame because we convinced the Army to implement something that includes making women stand out. The concern I have is that we'll continue this trend and force something on the military that really isn't needed right now. I do believe that we need to keep the training separate because by the laws of science, men and women are created differently on many levels. Now, that's not saying that a woman can do something better than a man and vice versa. This is something we don't need rammed down our throats right now and using the military as a giant social experiment is not the answer. It worked with desegregation but this is something completely different.
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MAJ Montgomery Granger
Exactly! Where is the pressure to change coming from and why? Is the organization failing? Are we less effective or efficient and in need of overhaul? Pretending men and women are equal is unproductive. We have strengths and weaknesses in a general sense, but I believe you're right about on balance, there are some exceptional soldiers of both genders. Remember, men hold ALL world records in EVERY sport and physical competition, but the BEST women can beat most men. The question has to be, 1) Do we NEED to integrate training and units? If not, then where can we integrate without giving up effectiveness and efficiency? I say integration has worked in many combat support and combat service support units. Women are capable and competent and can excel. All are trained as soldiers first and have proven in combat and in combat zones that they can fight and support the fight in close quarters. What's next? I think the natural next step is SEGREGATED combat arms. So, just like in competitive sports, men and women should train separately, and be equipped with weapons, supplies and uniforms that cater to differences. Once that's accomplished, hold war games between elite groups of combat arms, men vs. women. The enemy won't discriminate, so the training shouldn't either. The training standard for accomplishing the mission must be the same, only then can a true assessment be made for the good of the service and for the good of the country, IMO. Thanks!
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