All-male Marine units do better than mixed teams
Results may stir debate about jobs
Study results may stir debate about opening all jobs to women.
“This is unprecedented research across the services.”
A Marine Corps study that found all-male ground combat units more effective than teams that included women has raised new concerns about the Pentagon’s push to open all jobs to women next year.
A summary of results released Thursday from the unprecedented study showed that all-male ground combat squads were faster, stronger and more lethal in most cases than units that includ-
Marine Col. Anne Weinberg
ed women. The women also suffered higher injury rates during physically demanding training.
The Marine Corps and other services face a deadline the Pentagon has set for requiring military branches to open all specialties to women, including infantry and special operations forces, beginning next year. The services have until the end of this month to request an exception to the order for some occupations.
The Corps has not yet said whether it will request a waiver, but the study’s results are likely to fuel a growing debate over including women in ground combat jobs.
“If you were to turn down a request for a waiver like that, I guess the political machine in the White House would be saying we don’t care about the effectiveness of the ground combat units,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a member of the House Armed Services Committee who served in the Marine Corps and has expressed concerns about opening up all positions to women.
Administration officials have set the bar high for waivers.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who oversees the Marine Corps, said the study would not change his mind about opening all career fields to women.
The Army also has not said if it will seek waivers. The Navy and Air Force, which have fewer jobs that now bar women, have not announced their plans.
The Marine study is the first effort to measure the impact gender integration could have on combat effectiveness. “This is unprecedented research across the services,” Marine Col. Anne Weinberg said.
In another change toward gender equality, the Army recently opened its Ranger school to both sexes. Last month, two soldiers became the first women to complete Ranger school, an arduous two-month course where students hike long distances with heavy packs and operate with little sleep or food.