Co-ed Combat : The New Evidence That Women Shouldn't Fight the Nation's Wars

A scholar makes a definitive, controversial argument against women in combat More than 155,000 female troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. And more than seventy of those women have died. While that's a small fraction of all American casualties, those deaths exceed the number of military women who died in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War combined. Clearly, women in combat isn't a theoretical issue anymore. Women now fly combat aircraft and serve on warships. Even the remaining all-male corners of the military are blurring the lines in Iraq. And for many advocates, this trend is considered progress—toward a better, “gender neutral” military. Co-ed Combat makes the opposite case, based on research in anthropology, biology, history, psychology, sociology, and law, as well as military memoirs. It asks hard questions that challenge the assumptions of feminists.For instance:Has warfare really changed so much as to reverse the almost unanimous history of all-male armed forces?Are men and women really equivalent in combat skills, even leaving aside physical strength?Do female troops respond to traditional types of motivations?Can the bonds of unit cohesion form in a co-ed military unit?Can an all-volunteer military afford to reject women? This is a controversial book, likely to draw a passionate response from both conservatives and liberals. Part I : Sex Differences and Their Origins 15 2. Physical Sex Differences in Size, Strength, and Speed: Separating Fact from Myth 19 3. Sex Differences in Mind: Separating Fact from Myth Again 28 4. How Did Sex Differences Come About? Pure Socialization, or Do Hormones Play a Role? 38 5. Evolutionary Origins of Sex Differences: The "Why" Question 48 Part II: Modern Warfare 55 6. The Nature of Modern Warfare 59 7. The "Special Case" of Aviation 75 Part III: Tlie Manliness of War 85 8. War as a Traditionally Masculine Pursuit 89 9. What xMen Fear 96 10. Why Men Love War 113 Part IV: Men and Women in Groups 127 1 1 . The Bond of Brothers: All for One and One for All 131 12. Who Men Follow: Leadership and Followership in Combat 150 13. The Evolved Nature of Male Bonding: Is Men's Aversion to Female Comrades in Arms Intractable? 161 Part V: 71? rears to Cohesion and Effectiveness Arising from Mix i ng the Sexes 1 79 14. Who Men Protect: Women and Children First 183 15. Sexual Relationships and Attraction 194 16. Double Standards and Political Correctness 208 Part VI: Special Problems Resulting from Female Personnel 231 17. Rape of Female Prisoners of War 235 18. Reproductive Issues: Pregnancy, Motherhood, and Hygiene 242 Part VII: Manpower Issues 261 19. Recruiting, Retention, and Conscription: Is a Fully Integrated Military Attractive to Either Men or Women? 265 20. Should the Sexes Be Separated? Sex- Segregated Training and Operational Units 274 21 . Why Comparisons to Some Other Forms of Discrimination Are Unpersuasive 281 22. Conclusion 287 Notes Index Bibliography A scholar makes a definitive, controversial argument against women in combat More than 155,000 female troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. And more than seventy of those women have died. While thats a small fraction of all American casualties, those deaths exceed the number of military women who died in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War combined. Clearly, women in combat isnt a theoretical issue anymore. Women now fly combat aircraft and serve on warships. Even the remaining all-male corners of the military are blurring the lines in Iraq. And for many advocates, this trend is considered progresstoward a better, gender neutral military. Co-ed Combat makes the opposite case, based on research in anthropology, biology, history, psychology, sociology, and law, as well as military memoirs. It asks hard questions that challenge the assumptions of feminists.For instance: Has warfare really changed so much as to reverse the almost unanimous history of all-male armed forces? Are men and women really equivalent in combat skills, even leaving aside physical strength? Do female troops respond to traditional types of motivations? Can the bonds of unit cohesion form in a co-ed military unit? Can an all-volunteer military afford to reject women? This is a controversial book, likely to draw a passionate response from both conservatives and liberals. Browne makes a case against women in combat, based on research in anthropology, biology, history, psychology, sociology, and law, as well as military memoirs. It asks hard questions that challenge the assumptions of feminists. For instance: 5 Has warfare really changed so much as to reverse the almost unanimous history of all-male armed forces? 5 Are men and women really equivalent in combat skills, even leaving aside physical strength? 5 Do female troops respond to traditional types of motivations? 5 Can the bonds of unit cohesion form in a co-ed military unit? 5 Can an all-volunteer military afford to reject women?