Someone asked me about my thought about women in their period while on a mission with military “elite” units. Obviously I’m not a woman so my comment is going to be more on the military side of things. I imagine that many within such units have reservation about combat units being no longer exclusively all-male. Here’s my thoughts.
It seems there are many scenarios in which women on their period can pose a risk during an elite forces’ missions. Here I’m assuming you are referring to Special Operation Forces or conventional forces with a history of seeing themselves as exclusive and unique. Since the question seem focused on Special Operation Forces I’ll narrow down my examples to Special Operation Forces.
I’m thinking about problems that would arise in training even before a real world mission. What we think of as elite units are typically light infantry in the bigger picture of things; by light infantry I mean all your ground firepower is what you can carry with you as a person. It’s a paradox that light infantry carry much more weight than their counterpart in heavy infantry units. For light infantry units mortars and 50 Cals are the big stuff and a nightmare to carry around. For heavy infantry with their mechanized fighting vehicles organic to the unit itself they will of course be able to brings with them “heavier” weapons to the fight and more of them too. So its no surprise that SOF units and other elite conventional forces usually have higher standards for hiking with very heavy packs. Women in support units don’t carry the weight light infantry units carry. Actually most females in military hikes often slow down a support unit on required hikes because of body differences. And that’s for training but imagine a woman on her period for days hiking with full combat weight to a fight with all the negative symptoms that comes with a period.
Besides direct action there’s reconnaissance or special reconnaissance missions deep behind enemy lines. Let’s say its a two man sniper team. I think of the story of Marine Scout Sniper Carlos Hatchcock crawling for days before he took his shot of a general deep behind enemy lines. Think about staying still for days observing the enemy, peeing and pooping on yourself; its not a place to be changing pads. Or say there’s a woman in a SEAL or Marine Recon team inserting into enemy territory by swimming. Beach operations as a regular Marine itself can be a wet and dirty affair. You get sands and water everywhere on your body, even in your private parts. There’s a crass Marine saying about not having “sand in your clit” (excuse my language, just quoting the Marines) so can you imagine a female in period swimming in with that as a problem while she’s on her period doing a crazy swim in the ocean unto the beach in which every gear you own is horribly wet and become “sand cookies?”
Not all SOF missions are direct combat action or reconnaissance. Green Berets have the role of training up other country’s forces or paramilitary forces including rebel groups; let’s say you have a women out in the jungles or Afghanistan where resupply is already a problem and now if somehow the logistics and supply guys in the rear with the gear forgets to include tampons. That’s not a far fetched scenario. Or say you have a Special Forces units engaged in counterinsurgency, of winning hearts and mind against a known enemy embedded with the people in a hostile area that have a cultural taboo about ceremonial cleanliness and women on their periods contacting men. One can imagine village tribal leaders wondering about why the women are always out in the open communicating with men, after all don’t they ever have their period? If historically Green Berets are willing to be snake eaters, eat monkey brains to win the heart and minds of indigenous forces during the Vietnam War, can you imagine what the Left’s PC codes of having trans and women in Special Forces Group would do for unconventional warfare or counterinsurgency with a host that has traditional values? It goes against the grain totally…
The concern is not limited to a woman being in an “elite” unit when she’s on her period; one should be equally concern when an operator get pregnant as well. Even in noncombat units where females and males troops are integrated there’s a problem with females getting pregnant. We must not be naive to think we can throw young men and women together in units and we wouldn’t have personnel problems that affect a unit’s cohesion. Imagine women with actual jobs in combat units who gets pregnant and have to take maternity leave. They will probably be gone for months and when they get back to their unit they have not been working on their skill sets necessary for combat. Some skill sets need constant exercise as a team together such as the dangerous job of practicing room clearing. SEALS and Delta train with live fire exercise for these missions like crazy. Imagine a women on the team leaving for six months and come back with a new rank because of her time and grade in the service. She comes back without her skill set being razor sharp but now are expected to take on more responsibilities fitting for her rank. Or say they don’t give her the responsibilities that is fitting for her new rank; it is going to upset the dynamic of the unit with confusion about the correspondence of rank and responsibilities. The female service member might feel discriminated because she’s not given the responsibilities fitting for her time and grade but she’s not accounting for her leave of absence. Or say she does get the responsibilities of the new rank. How would the other members of her unit feel? How’s that for unit cohesion? It seems dangerous.
Some might reply that other countries have integrated females in combat units as a rebuttal to what I wrote. Take Israel for instance. But I think there’s more to the story than just a blanket statement that Israel allowing women and LGBT to serve in combat units without a further look. This news article is insightful. To this day Israel’s elite paratroopers, commandos and Golani Brigade are all male. So you’re not going to find a Lesbian in those units. Nor transgenders who are actually females. Women infantryman is only limited to the mix gender Caracal battalion. That’s one battalion among how many battalions of Infantry forces the IDF has? It’s a drop in the bucket. Even then the standards are lowered for this unit. They modify the table of organization and equipment for the unit such as what weapons they carry, and modified lighter armor, etc for the women. So far the battalion is limited to border security with Egypt rather than more violate border areas. Border security is also not the same thing as being an infantry unit that is expected to be part of an expected ground force invasion which is expected of regular infantry. When you watch and read the order of battle for Israel’s military operations that involves incursion into territories you would note they are using the units I mentioned earlier that are all-male infantry.
Thanks for the “hands on” insights, Jimmy. It’s one thing to demand exact equality in all situations from a soap box, it’s another thing to see how it works out where the tire meets the road.
” It’s one thing to demand exact equality in all situations from a soap box, it’s another thing to see how it works out where the tire meets the road.” Exactly. The military and combat units are not a place for experiments by social justice warriors.
Hi bro Jim. I was just talking last night to my wife about the issues facing the military, as it finds a way to fit in society and the way it is going. I suppose my thoughts are very archaic, and many would say I am a rights denier. So be it, I suppose.
Our military has one mission ultimately. As the Army term was, that mission is to close with and destroy the enemy. That is an unfortunate fact of reality, even if we try to say differently. That is the mission, and that is why the branches of our military exist. While I am all for “rights” the honest truth is our military is not there to necessarily protect the rights of those in it. We, they, are there to protect the rights of those of us not serving. In that process, sacrifices may have to be made
The simple fact is, that some are better equipped to perform this mission, and overall across the board, that someone happens to be men. I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, but that is a simply physiological fact. There are other sociological reasons I struggle with women deploying to combat zones, most of them having to do with children and Mom’s role with them. Again, I know that is not popular.
Now let’s drag the whole issue of sexual tension in units that need to be cohesive and focused on the mission. Men/women, gay/straight, or trans/gay/straight. I can’t keep track. At any rate, sexual tension simply has no place in that environment, for many reasons.
There…now you have the thoughts of an official cave man. Let the beatings begin I suppose.
Wally I think I see this issue eye to eye with you.
You said “Men/women, gay/straight, or trans/gay/straight.” That made me google “how many genders are there” and some links said 63, some 58 and some 51. I imagine for many others even those on the Left have a hard time tracking. Can you believe it, there’s two digits figure when it comes to how many genders are there?
No…I cannot believe it. Crazy.
This cave woman is happily married to a cave man….
It works pretty good Huh?
Haha, that’s pretty funny!
As a woman Jim—I have always believed in all male combat units—an unpopular notion among many of my sex, but it is what it is.
I have no problem with woman serving in other capacities, just not combat.
I understand that there are woman who want to “serve” who feel both mentally and physically prepared—however—there is no getting around the fact that men and women are indeed different physically as well as even mentally—as in how they think and react—different in strength, body mass, proportion and most often weight.
Whereas some women can go toe to toe with most men in all sorts of areas—a woman’s body, like it or not, is not a man’s…and cannot do everything a man’s can do…
Also I am not a proponent of openly gay or transgender individuals serving in the military—there is too much distraction associated with and around their choices, too much baggage that can be a hindrance—and I for one do not believe that it is the responsibility of the military, our military, to pay for or afford those needing hormone replacement therapy or sexual orientation surgeries….that should not be on the military’s dime.
We live in such an overt PC culture…one that misconstrues the simplest notions truing them into earth shattering issues that are falsely perceived as discriminatory, sexist, racist, etc….that are simply not that…
There was a time when those who had flat feet, or were near sighted, or had scoliosis could not serve–yes they had the desire and the want, but they possessed limitations, physical limitations—that meant their service would have to come in some other fashion than serving in the military combat units.
We have become such an all inclusive culture that we no longer want to accept that there are still differences and limitations—but the fact remains that there are.
Some of us are not designed or were made to do certain things while others were and are…that’s just a fact—no matter how hard we try to ignore those facts by turning everything into an open society of come one, come all.
Julie I think you articulated that well in a balanced and fair manner. To add what you said I also think there is something when you put men and women together where men start becoming like peacocks. Not the fault of the women; but sometimes guys become nasty to each other guys in trying to get the attention of a female. I can’t imagine that dynamic being introduced to a close knitted unit. I hope you are doing well and have a blessed Saturday Julie.
Thanks Jim– I know you’re getting ready to hit the road!
Agree with you totally Julie.
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The problem is that people don’t want equality; they want what someone else has.
If a women can avoid getting pregnant, stop having her cycle and do everything (and I mean everything) a man is required to do, then by all means let her join up. But I have yet to see that. Typically there are one set of standards for men and one for women. That’s not uniformity, nor is it equality. Women being in the military is problematic at best. If they serve in shore duty capacity, that’s less problematic but I have heard from many of my military friends that it has been a huge challenge having women on long deployments.
Well stated Elihu.
LOL! Well obviously she’d simply take out a small country, just like we do in civilian life! 🙂
There’s something to be said for troop morale, for biology, for the brotherhood when men are in combat, that just doesn’t lend itself well to having women in close quarters. It’s archaic of me for sure, but I think there is something there that should be respected.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts especially as a woman.
I thought I had sent you an offer to become a contributor to my blog. Did I not? Am I missing something? Let me know. Thanks.
Jim and IB, I would like to invite both of you to be guests on my blog. Jim, I don’t know why I haven’t followed your blog till now. Sorry.
Oh, yeah, now I remember… I can’t find anywhere to subscribe.
Anthony I am honored by the invitation; I have seen Wally write guest posts on your blog; how do I become a guest blogger?
Reblogged this on The Recovering Legalist and commented:
Since I don’t have anything new for this weekend, I thought I would share this post from a follower, one who knows far more about military things than myself.
very appealing..yes…woman in military, police and security forces do have to face the common period they face in other walks of life…it’s a great coverage…and must be editors pick
Reblogged this on Gadol Elohai: Father's Service, Son's work, Spirit's gift and commented:
Very appealing..yes…woman in military, police and security forces do have to face the common period they face in other walks of life…it’s a great coverage…and must be editors pick
[…] When GI Jane has her monthly pain […]
Food for thought here
Liberals…always fixing what’s not broken
I can’t believe the Marine Corps recently compromised and integrated women and men in boot camp. I don’t think its a good idea and studies have shown combined gender units operate less effectively than male only or female only units.
This is very thoughtful and stimulating article!