The Prohibition of Women from Serving in Combat Roles - Research Paper Example

The Obama administration's policy lifting the prohibition of women from serving in combat roles Introduction The United States has for several decades deployed over 280 000 female soldiers to war zones particularly in combat operations that took place in Afghanistan and Iraq where close to 900 female soldiers have wounded while over 130 of them succumbed to death. Figures of casualties from the Department of Defense shows that over 284 000 female soldiers were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2012. The performance of women in these operations has been immensely outstanding in numerous occasions and as a result, a number of them were awarded for their immense contributions in combat service. The excellent roles played by these service women have prompted the congress and the entire military administration to redefine the role of female soldiers in direct ground combat operations. It is worth noting that all these decisions come amid several lawsuits against the Pentagon. Body In one of the lawsuits, women representatives argued that the restriction imposed on them was unconstitutional and was a violation of their rights to protection under the U.S law. There has been a number lifts in bans that earlier took effect within the military. For instance in 1990’s the congress brought to an end the ban on women flying in combat and serving in war ships. In a similar occasion in 2010, the Navy lifted a ban on women serving on war submarines. These changes have enabled women soldiers to participate in wider roles in the military and enhance increased combat experience unlike in the past when unfair combat-exclusion policies were in play. Modern warfare as it is in Afghanistan and Iraq poses a big challenge to women already serving in combat operations since their services are not officially recognized. This hinders their professional development and access to promotions. The decision to lift the bans is timely and opens opportunity for women soldiers to display their expertise and prowess in warfare on the same capacity as their male counterparts. The decision by President Obama administration fits into the broad spectrum as articulated in the ambitious liberal agenda. While it looked like it was President Obama’s initiative to approve the decision and not the congress, the actual drive and pressure originated from the military itself. In fact, some members of the white house charged with responsibility of reviewing such, decisions did not do so before submitting to the president. It was therefore a joint agreement by the General Chiefs of Staff coupled with the court pressure to eliminate the gender-based barriers within the military. Each of the military branches was to have a full implementation of the policy within six months. According to the opinion of the General Chief of the military, such initiatives should be done once a careful assessment of the possible implications on the ongoing warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan had fully been assessed to avoid sacrificing the trust of the American people as well as the military success. According to the General Chiefs of Staff, such changes could negatively affect the success of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is worth noting that these actions had to take place after several years of examination only to be hurried up when the Afghanistan war is at its helm. One could think that it is because of the rising pressure from the high profiled lawsuits, in November 2012, by the American Civil Liberties Union against pentagon on behalf of service women. According to them, leadership positions for service women did not exist within the force and therefore rewarding women heroes had suffered a big blow for a number of years. Citing a case, an Air National Guard helicopter pilot failed to receive combat leadership position after being wounded badly in war simply because the Department of Defense did not officially acknowledge the existence of leadership position for women. Under the U.S law, the General Chief of Staff is allowed to lift a ban as part of the regulatory decision on a condition that he notifies the congress of such intentions 30 days before implementation. Some of the critics lamented the decision likening it to another part of a social experiment. The critics argued that allowing women serve in such combat positions, where the living conditions did not allow privacy for personal hygiene was compromising to the services. In addition, public polls conducted showed that the Americans in entirety supported the lifting of the ban where three quarters of the voters interviewed supported the idea of allowing women serve in combat military units. In support of the lift on the ban, policy experts supported the lifting of the ban saying that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had greatly influenced by allowing women serve equally as their male counterparts. Even though, several military positions remain closed for women soldiers, it is therefore important to open these chances up through a change of rules that govern military policies. However, it is important to note the dangerous situations female soldiers face while at war. In the recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, women casualties represented 2 percent of the total casualties. This percentage was computed from the total number of women, constituting twelve percent of all soldiers who took part in the operation. It is important to note that for each policy to succeed, implementation must follow specific guidelines and a goal against which to judge must be availed. Managerial success in the public domain must involve initiation and reshaping of public enterprises in ways that increase the long and short-term public value. For this reason, the entire decision received support in major sectors of security including the citizenry and that is why less resistance was experienced during implementation. The lifting of the ban opens thousands of leadership positions after several years of limits on women serving in the military. These positions may not be available immediately owing to the fact that several procedures need to be followed within several factions of the US forces. To start with, it is quite difficult to believe that the lift on the ban will instantly open opportunities for women serving in combat positions and delta forces because of practical barriers that need to be looked into for purpose of safety and privacy of the military. Secondly, the opinions of the American people suggest zero tolerance to the large number of women getting involved in dangerous combat positions. Analysis It is important to understand that the presence of American service women in combat positions in Iraq and Afghanistan were necessitated by the need to have them serve in positions such as medics and intelligence. This means that their main work is that of supporting combat units through medical aid in instances where casualties occurred in the course of war. Therefore, women militants would in most instances patrol in helicopters monitoring events in warfronts and offering support services. War exhibit several complexities where battlefield lines may not be clear and insurgents can hide around unseen vicinity making it impossible to have women cleared out of danger. Recent studies on transition shows that the policy may not easily implemented due to the following reasons When Marine Corps attempted to take some women through a tough infantry course in 2012, only two women offered to join and both failed to complete the course. A number of female soldiers are unwilling to take up the more rigorous infantry and commando positions in military positions In the contrary, women in the navy have taken up the jobs serving in different positions. Other sectors of the forces including the Army, Air force and Marine have already laid down guiding principles of transition as follows; They are fully committed to America’s fighting force standards. They are committed to setting up a process that would ensure all military men and women serving in the forces have equal chances of professional development. They are committed to sustenance and improvement of the army readiness to defense. In this regard, as part of the process, there will be need to allow for more time for female soldiers to rise to headship ranks in some military sectors. When this changeover is successfully implemented, military men and women, who display military prowess in service will stand like chances management positions (Miller 113). In order to evaluate the benefits of lifting of the ban there is a need to look into two approaches: Ideology and Ethics Practical and Logistical concerns These ideologies take the basic assumption that men and women have equal capabilities and chances. The foundation upon which this assumption builds is that a ban on women is regarded as a sexist’s discrimination that does not have place in the American laws and ideals. All military men and women upon successful implementation of the policy will be offered equal chances in defense of the Nation as stipulated in the American constitution. This is the core benefit of the process. In addition, female soldiers will further seek promotions whenever they qualify. Security agency will benefit in that the ban will promote build up of high quality small combat teams and leadership that is more effective. Further, the lifting of the ban benefits female Cadets in the Hopkins ROTC program whom for a long time been denied a chance to pursue wider career choices. It will further benefit the overall strength and ability of the forces to deal with criminal activities. Opening combat jobs to women would require the congress to amend the law. Other countries such as Israel, Canada and Britain have had similar challenges. In Israel and Canada for example, women serve in combat roles though in an insignificant figure. In 2010, Britain resolved to a decision not to change rules excluding women service in infantry and combat positions. Implementation plans and decisions under the American constitution must first seek approval of the defense secretary after which the congress should be notified. The implementation plan must show whether the new jobs would open up for competition between the male and female service men or some combat jobs would be exclusively for male service members. A close look into those who support and oppose the ban in this policy shows that those who are for the policy have a greater say. For example, Anu Bhagwati who served as a marine captain admits she resigned in 2004 due to the combat exclusion policy. She further adds that a number of women serving in the forces have had their professional ambitions shuttered by the ancient policy. The most important thing if any policy is to receive public value is to increase efficiency, effectiveness in clearly defined missions or through the introduction of programs that respond to new political ambitions. Therefore, the proposed policy should be clearly defined through understanding of apparent sequences of events. Pilot trials were carried out during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars where women serving in the war were allowed to conduct house searches. This according to pentagon was to look how well women would perform in these positions before opening up the positions further. The policy seems to have the popular support of the white house, congress and equal rights groups. However, critics argue that the policy is about not only physical capabilities or competence but also logistical challenges in the amendment of the laws to be at par with current laws. This will majorly depend on the how the draft is handled. The implementation of the policy faces real field challenges for example when women are allowed to take part in combat frontline positions, all female soldiers would be charged with same responsibilities and standards as their male counterparts. Implementation of the policy requires from public managers the ability to posses’ imaginative, innovative and single minded approaches in working towards the accomplishment of the mission. Lack of political good will, budgetary constrains and coherent mandate in implementation of any public policy. “The main question that this policy must address is its legal implication in respect to the constitutionality of the Military Selective Service Act” (Skaine 42). This is because the US law states that if changes were to be amended in policy pertaining cases where women can serve in the military, a detailed analysis of the changes must be clearly defined. Conclusion In conclusion, successful implementation of the policy by the administration is only feasible when a strategy is adopted and carefully implemented. In this regard, the strategic triangle strategy must be adopted. The strategy must be substantively valuable in cost and authority. Legitimacy and political sustainability of the policy must be cultivated if successful implementation is to be achieved. The lifting of the ban opens up job opportunities for women in the military. In fact, the ban that was implemented in 1994 did not entirely mean that women stopped serving in the front lines of war. Truly speaking, several women have been serving in these positions for a very long time. It is therefore important to note that the lifting of the ban does give these women a chance to advance in leadership positions resented by the combat positions on an immediate level since the entire implementation will take full effect in 2016. Generally, women who serve in the army will have the greatest gain upon implementation, as they will be able to seek management positions and serve as their male counterparts. Through their service, the American army gets stronger in the coming years boosting security amid terrorists’ threats in the past few years. Works cited: Caw, Paul, et al. "Women in Ground Close Combat Roles: The Experiences of Other Nations and a Review of the Academic Literature." (2009). Davis, Robert C., et al. "This research was sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and was conducted in the RAND Center on Quality Policing within the Safety and Justice Program of RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment." (2011). Miller, Laura L., et al. The Extent of Restrictions on the Service of Active-Component Military Women. RAND NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH INST SANTA MONICA CA, 2012. Skaine, Rosemarie. Women in Combat: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC- CLIO, 2011. Print. Read More