Many of them feel coerced by their superiors to assent to a policy they feel is not in the best interests of the services, and they observe these same superiors giving only praise to the policy and ignoring its flaws. The American military simply cannot remain healthy is this trend continues. Yet it appears to be increasing, with large numbers of mid-grade and experienced personnel leaving the service. While there are many reasons for the current retention crisis, one reason some of the best people are leaving is because they sense a loss of integrity in the senior leaders of their respective institutions. Erosion of the physical preparedness and martial ethos of male trainees.
Mixed training appears to benefit females more than males.
Most of the women I encountered were highly motivated and eager to make the transition to soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine. In fact, I was deeply impressed with the vast majority of the female trainees I met and spoke to. But it appears at the same time that the benefits are not equally distributed. And many males in mixed units appeared, in my judgment, to lack the same intensity of motivation, though some individuals were more highly motivated, not wanting to be outdone by females. But in a subtle yet profound way, something seems to happen to the self-confidence, assertiveness, and aggressiveness of many males in mixed unit training.