Women in Combat

Introduction3

Discussion4

Historical Review of US Women in Combat4

Department of Defense (DOD) Policy5

Union and Confederacy Spies6

World War I6

World War II7

Desert Storm7

Iraqi Freedom Operation8

Laws and Legislations for Women in Combat9

The 1948 Women's Armed Services Integration Act9

The Amendment in 19789

1981 Army Policy Review Group10

Ground Combat Exclusionary Policy10

RAND Corp Study11

Gender-Neutral Standards11

Conclusions12

References13

Women in Combat

Introduction

Throughout majority of the history recorded, fighting, battling and combating have been officially deemed as a “males only” doings with policies and laws established to maintain and reflect that exclusivity (Domi, 2013). However, women for all the time have served, albeit “unofficially.” All through the past 50 years noteworthy changes have been made both in the nature of combat and in finding out who is entitled to “officially” take part in those combats. Technological advancements in weaponry and the weakened desire of men to offer their services in the military together with the development of the societal positions of women come out as pivotal elements driving that transformation. Thus, at present women consist of approximately 15 percent of the active force and more or less 16 percent of the Reserve Components (Domi, 2013). “Women in Combat” is a phrase that relates to any operation of armed women in combat. This is a actually a hot issue for both feminists as well as defense and military policy makers (Cooke 101). Whilst the leading arguments have been held around women's exclusion policies from direct combating roles in the military of United States particularly following the Gulf War, this argument has been present all over the world. Thus, this research paper focuses on the key legislation, laws and regulations with dates. Moreover, it will also discuss the women's progress through the Revolutionary, Civil War, WWI, WWII, and Dessert Storm. In addition, the War in Iraq is also discussed together with the laws and legislation such as the 1948 Women's Integration Act, the amendment in 1978, 1981 Army Policy Review Group, 1993, 1994 Ground Combat Exclusionary Policy, 2005 RAND Corp Study, and Jan 24 2013 New Policy for women in combat.

Discussion

Historical Review of US Women in Combat

At the same time as a number of the stories in relation to female warriors are subjected to be taken as illusory myths, a number of of the findings hold opposing views. By means of the archaeological proof from the Eurasian steppes' digging site for Iron Age and examining remains of women warriors and their connection and involvement with armaments and weapons in graves, Davis-Kimball agreed with the accounts of Herodotus's regarding the subsistence of women warriors in the tribes of Eurasian nomadic as well as the myth of the Amazon. Another recognized site with reference to women warriors involves the historical sources indicating trained women armed forces of the West Africa's Kingdom of Dahomey, who turned out to be the influential force of the specialized standing army of Dahomey all through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In addition, the documents prove that in nineteenth century China all through the Taiping Rebellion, females combated in the Taiping Heavenly Army ...