Gender equity hurts the mission

A mandate for gender equality in our armed services is detrimental to maintaining an effective fighting force.

As Americans, we should demand that our most qualified and best prepared servicemembers serve in direct combat roles — those who can sustain what is physically and emotionally demanded in close quarters combat. Success on the battlefield cannot be about rights of individuals or women. It is about the proficiency, cohesiveness and effectiveness of a military that wins wars.

Some say women should have the opportunity to compete for positions in combat arms. Historically, the physical standards for female Marines are less demanding than for men. If women expect the opportunity for direct combat, they must be physically exceptional, striving to achieve the more rigorous standards established for males.

Many career servicewomen like me are asking, “What is the return on investment for what is anticipated to be a negligible number of women who qualify for combat roles?”

An experiment at the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course found that none of the 29 highly motivated women Marine officer volunteers were able to complete the course. Infantry officers must thrive in the harshest meritocracy with the greatest consequences. Services must resist efforts to lower standards to achieve greater gender equality and fairness.

The argument that combat arms designation is the panacea for women’s career success is baseless. With increased expectations in combat positions, women are likely to experience shorter career spans due to increased potential for injury, for difficult family decisions, and for difficulty in maintaining high physical standards throughout a career.

I cannot think of any career women Marines who believe their success was inhibited by an inability to serve in combat arms jobs. In fact, the Marine Corps has promoted numerous women officers to the rank of general, valuing stellar performers in support fields from administration to logistics.

Remember, the primary mission of our nation’s military is to ensure national survival. Gender equality is deleterious to achieving that goal.

Marianne Waldrop is a retired Marine Corps colonel who served as an intelligence officer for 24 years.