Every Marine learns that the purpose of the Marine Corps Infantry is to “locate, close with, and destroy the enemy.” The infantry is the core of the Corps; it is the heart that all other occupational specialties work to support. Dedication to the Marine rifleman has been the Corps’ most unifying principle. However, in the discussion surrounding the full integration of women into all military occupational specialties, including the infantry, the infantry Marine unfortunately has become the subject of divisiveness.
On 3 December 2015, the Secretary of Defense announced that there would be “no exceptions” to women’s integration. Misinformation about physical abilities and lowering standards has been put to rest by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, with promises of high standards being maintained. This should be a point of pride and unity for all Marines. Yet rather than supporting an effective and efficient integrated force, small but vocal groups of male Marines—most former or retired—have taken advantage of the Marines’ dedication to and reverence for the infantry to make a final appeal to emotion in arguments against integration.
These arguments against women’s integration both play on intangibles of unit cohesion and build off the iconic and brutal purpose of the infantry, seeing them as something that only young men are capable of producing. While emotionally rousing, these arguments ignore the reality of our current enemy and the nature of our current (and likely future) conflicts.
These arguments also hinge on outdated data or studies that have been found misleading. Military testimonies from 1991 or congressional findings from 1997 lack grounding in the reality of today’s warrior and the nature of today’s warfighting. Even recent studies have been revealed to be not as damning on integrated units as originally asserted.
Gone are the days where adversaries meet each other valiantly on a battlefield. Today’s foe hides among the civilian population. Engagement with local populaces is now a key tactical task for the infantry that cannot be done by men alone. Women are key to locating the enemy, as they allow access to the entire population.
In today’s battles, “destroying” the enemy is not complete when combatants are dead, but when populations are fortified against the radical groups once living among them. Women possess an ability to counter radicalization and extremism, and resultantly fortify communities against terrorist recidivism. Men alone are not able to engage with this key demographic, leaving traditional infantry units short of achieving their mission to fully destroy the enemy. Evidence shows that gender-integrated units have been the most successful in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Given that women are a force multiplier in the modern counterinsurgency environment, it is essential the Corps provides the proper training and equipment for all Marines—both men and women—from day one. Critics are right to raise concerns about unit cohesion when ill-prepared or lesser-trained women are added to a combat unit only when the mission requires them. Lower standards and segregated training have contributed to a false belief that women are neither capable nor competent enough to be among those at the Corps’ heart. It is what allows for a continued sexualization of female Marines and skepticism on the part of their male counterparts as to female Marines’ competency and abilities. This highlights the need for integrated, cohesive, and high-standard recruit and officer training.
Many of the fears about sexual misconduct or behavioral issues brought about by gender-integrated units can be alleviated through both leadership and early socialization between male and female recruits. The bonds formed between male and female Marines during early stages of training will translate to the success-enhancing unit cohesion on the battlefield.
High standards are not easy to meet, but they are necessary. During her tenure as CO of 4th Battalion at Parris Island, Lieutenant Colonel Kate Germano set high standards and provided rigorous training. Under these conditions, female Marines significantly improved in all aspects of physical and tactical performance. This experience is affirmed by sociological research on standards and their impact on both individual and group performance. Effective integrated training, with transparent standards and leadership, fosters both social and task-based cohesion.
This approach is essential to create the band of Marines required to fight current and future wars, and ensure the security of the United States well into the future.
Ms. Hunter is a PhD candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. She is a combat veteran, spending more than a decade as a Marine officer. She served as an AH-1W “Super Cobra” attack helicopter pilot and a liaison officer to the House of Representatives.