Removing the Rose Colored Glasses

The U.S. Army's policy for assigning female soldiers is significantly more challenging to implement in the era of persistent warfare. The problem is that the Army policy needs to be revised because the more recent Office of the Secretary of Defense women's assignment rule, the challenges in 21st century security environment, and the adaptations in tactics and force structure make the existing policy open to interpretation by commanders and open to public criticism. Thus, the primary research question is: How should the Army Policy for the Assignment of Female Soldiers be revised in order to address the modern battlefield? Four areas were studied. First, the current Army policy was examined in order to determine potential gaps between lower and higher policies. Next, the researcher studied the system of assignment to verify that women were place according to the policy understanding. The third area of study focused on identifying unique characteristics of the irregular battlefield including specific differences in the security environment. Finally, the researcher determined how the environment caused the Army to adapt to the dangers. The researcher applied the information gathered to each section of the potential gaps identified in the assignment policy and made recommendations for potential revisions to policy and training.