The Progress With Women In Combat Integration

Since 2013, combat jobs have been open to women. The sex integration in the US military has had some successes. Challenges remain with developing  gender neutral fitness standards. Women have higher failure rates compare to their male counterparts. The US Army was previously developing an update to the 1983 fitness standards. The updated version is known as the Army Combat Fitness Test. Gender normed scoring was retained. The concern is that standards are being lowered to increase the number of women. What appears to be happening is that this is more about assessing a soldier's physical condition as a general assessment. Specific occupational  training would require another set of standards. The Navy, Army, Infantry, Air Force, and Marine Corps have different fitness standards. Women have entered combat jobs, but their numbers remain low. Another view is that women entry into combat jobs will weaken the US military. This is not true, because it only expands America's  armed force. What will weaken the US is economic instability and wars for regime change. Women's entry into combat jobs is one of the few positive developments for the US military. The devastating  wars in Iraq and Afghanistan  has lowered morale. Women should not just seek to be soldiers, rather rise in rank to influence military policy.