Should women be allowed in combat (yes) arguing for the issue - Research Paper Example

Why women should be allowed in combat A number of arguments and reasons have been raised regarding the issue of allowing women in combat. Where and how they serve in the military or defense should be based on training and not gender (Healey, 57). Therefore, policies that ban women from combat roles as well as prohibiting the military from utilizing the skills and abilities of all service members should in fact be changed to allow women to be in combat. Today, over 350, 000 women serve in the military with close to 30,000 in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Several key arguments have been put in support of enlisting women soldiers in combat units (King, 409). First, women who comprise almost 14 percent of the armed forces should be allowed to serve fully in front- line combat units because they have proven themselves to be mentally, morally, and physically able to lead and execute combat-type operations (Healey, 57). As a result, some of these female marines feel qualified for the opportunity of taking on the role. My personal experience has been that women are as good leaders and team builders as men.

I have noticed that women have good interpersonal and communication skills. They are good at taking orders; they are careful, keen and observant, and incorporating them in the combat can make it very successful (express.co.uk).Secondly, there is no clear evidence that integrating women soldiers into military operations or previously closed units damages cohesion or has other ill effects. In fact and independent report has suggested that women who serve in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq had a positive impact on the accomplishment of the mission (King, 409).

Allowing women in the military makes the army looks normal to the society and increases its operational capability. General Sir Peter Wall put is that "they are fundamental to the operational effectiveness of the UKs Armed Forces, bringing talent and skills across the board” (express.co.uk).  Allowing women in combat creates a mixed gender force thus keeping the military strong. Deploying and recruiting women who are in better shape is much easier than many men who are sent in combat. Over the years I have realized that women are as intelligent as men and a woman, who commits into doing something, always does it perfectly (express.co.uk).

Lastly, women should be allowed in combat because it will elevate their status in the military. Combat duty is often necessary for promotion to senior positions, therefore, denying female personnel the experience further entrenches sexism as very few will reach the highest ranks in military (Healey, 57). Women should be given the same opportunities as men because they are exposed to the same risks. Women have fought and died in wars. They have been prisoners of war; they have led men in wars, have fired lethal weapons and operated most sophisticated systems (King, 409).

They serve on combat ships and fly combat aircraft. They therefore meet physical and mental standards of the military, are highly trained leaders and war fighters, and are technically proficient. I have discovered that Air Force servicemen consider women soldiers as part of them. I have always watched women in the line of fire. For instance, in Iraq and Afghanistan operations many women soldiers were killed (express.co.uk). They should therefore be officially designated as combat troops because of the active roles they play on the ground.

Work citedHealey, Joseph F. Diversity and Society: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender, 2011/2012. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Pine Forge Press/Sage, 2012. Print. 57King, Anthony. The Combat Soldier: Infantry Tactics and Cohesion in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print. 409Russell, B. Women should be allowed to take combat roles in army and fight on front line [online] Available at: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/468936/Women-should-be-allowed-to-take-combat-roles-in-army-and-fight-on-front-line [accessed 27 February 2015]