Women in combat

Many thanks to CON for initiating this debate, and to all judges who will read it. Before I begin, some preliminary matters must be addressed. The reason these must be addressed now is because CON and I did not work out the details of this debate beforehand. Nevertheless, I look forward to an interesting and thought provoking discussion. This debate is about whether women should be allowed to serve in combat roles, not whether all women should be compelled to serve in combat capacity. The latter is an absurd interpretation of the resolution, and would be an absurd topic to debate. As such, it is the former that merits our attention. As PRO, it is my responsibility to argue that women should be allowed to serve in combat roles. CON must argue that women should not be allowed to serve in combat roles. I'm going to talk about some background information, and then begin my case -as stipulated by CON in his first posting in this debate. Background: Throughout the history of war, only men have conventionally served in a combat capacity. It goes without saying that many people are uncomfortable with the idea of women serving in combat roles, perhaps in large part due to the social stigmas associated both with the idea of women serving as infantry soldiers and women being killed on the battlefield. In today's debate, I posit that neither are sufficient reasons to justify women's exclusion from combat roles. Even though the Department of Defense in the United States removed its historical prohibition which precluded women's serving in combat roles last April, some military jobs are still only open to men such as Special Operations Forces, Ranger School, and the Marine Infantry. (1) My Case: (1) Women are physically able to serve in combat positions. Many of the historical objections to women serving in infantry/combat roles stem from the misguided belief that women are somehow physically unable to meet the physical demands of warfare. Freshman Cadet Madaline Kenyon completed the course in 2R01;minutes 26 seconds, which set a new record for women and amounts to an A+ rating on the men's scale. If passing West Point's obstacle course in record time is any indication of physical ability, then women are just as able as men are to respond to the physical demands of combat. (2) Additionally, four female marines enrolled in the Marine Corps" enlisted infantry training course "passed what is considered the most strenuous aspect of the Marines" infantry training: a 12-mile march carrying 80 pounds of gear." (2) Women who are just as able as men to serve in combat roles, then, ought to be able to serve. This in no way implies that the standard for combat readiness will or should be lowered in any way. It only means that all those who are able to meet it, as Cadet Kenyon was, will not be be subject to institutional discrimination on the basis of their gender. (2) "Women in combat roles would strengthen the military." -William Denn, April 3 2014. Washington Post. William Denn, whose credentials are listed in the footnote below, argues that because group intelligence rises when women are present in organizations, women's presence in combat units presents a unique strategic advantage to today's military. Citing evidence from the Harvard Business School and MIT research, Denn contends: "Women bring a unique level of "social sensitivity," the ability to read the emotions of other people. On today"s complex battlefields, social sensitivity is a crucial skill for military professionals. During my patrols in Iraq from 2007 to 2009, I came to appreciate how much women could have contributed to my mission. Most Iraqi men were reticent to speak with us for fear of retribution from al-Qaeda. Iraqi women, often fed up with the violence in their neighborhoods, could be persuaded to provide information, but first we had to bridge the gender gap, build rapport and earn their trust, all of which took valuable time. Having women in our platoon would have dramatically increased our ability to elicit critical intelligence. This could mean the difference between a mission"s success or failure, with lives in the balance." Indeed, Denn concludes that the military's including women in combat roles would not only serve to advance gender equality by removing institutionally discriminatory practices, but doing so would also be "a valuable enhancement of military effectiveness and national security." I will await my opponent's case and rebuttal in the following round. Sources: 1. http://www.truth-out.org... 2. "William Denn, an Army captain and intelligence officer, led soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a graduate student in public policy at Harvard"s Kennedy School of Government. The views presented here are his own." http://www.washingtonpost.com...