Role of Women in the Military and Military Espionage - Term Paper Example

?Role of Women in the Military and Military Espionage, Both in US and Other Cultures, and Cultural Reactions to Women in the Military Table of Contents Introduction 3 3 Thesis Statement 4 Literature Review 4 Discussion 5 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction During the ‘American Revolutionary War’ (1775-1783), women actively participated in the US Army. They served as nurses, cooks and laundresses for the Armies in the camps. However, in most of the cases women’s contributions in military associations have been considered to be very limited and they were observed to be playing a supplementary role, but this does not remain factual regarding the history of women in US military1. In the 20th century, there were two World Wars which facilitated to bring equality between men and women due to feminist movements. The insertion of women in all aspects of armed forces expanded effectively. At the time of World Wars, a majority of the women followed the men in every aspect of war such as trailing behind the marching soldiers with the camp equipments, foods and other necessary components in order to provide support to military in every way2. Thesis Statement This paper intends to discuss the role of women in the military and its espionage both in the US as well as other cultures and also how these cultures react in relation to the role of women in the military. Moreover, this paper also demonstrates different scholarly viewpoints regarding the role of women in the military. Furthermore, this paper describes the role of woman in The American Revolutionary War, The Civil War and The World Wars. Literature Review According to Patten & Parker (2011), the women who serve in todays military are quite different from the men, who participate in various ways in order to defend the nation. In comparison to male counterparts, in the US, a larger percentage of women in military are black and a smaller percentage are married. Moreover, women military combat during the incident of 9/11 or September 11 terrorist attacks was quite less than the men combat but the women’s involvement was more at the time of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. From the year 1973, the US military stopped recruitment and developed an ‘all-volunteer’ force, where majority of the women serve an effective combat role, which has increased considerably in recent times3. Kilcullen (2012) affirmed that the United States Army is still in debate whether to admit women in the US Ranger School or not. Moreover, he stated that high level training programs of army school are not for women. There have been certain debates in relation to the US Ranger School due to the fact that the Army is making a consideration to overturn regulations that have excluded women from infantry battalions. In the year 1991, at the time of Gulf War, Air Force department facilitated women to serve the role of combat pilot. At present, women in army are not given permission to serve as a part of frontline squads, platoons and rifle companies4. Discussion By taking into consideration the American Civil War (1861-1865), it is recognized that a majority of the women played a significant role while serving the community at the time of war. During the period of this war, women protected their farms and families from war effects. Moreover, women also served as military spies and espionage agents during the time of civil war5. When the US declared war against Germany in the year 1917, most of the women groups felt the requirement to join the war and serve the nation. Throughout the American history, intelligence has played a crucial role by which the nation has developed into an international power in terms of its military. Traditionally, women’s contributions and their voluntary participations helped to protect this nation in various ways6. The Civil War was considered not only as a turning point in American history but also in the history of women in America. During the time of the Civil War, women protected their homes and communities, provided medical care for the wounded people by playing a role of nurse, prepared wartime materials and also delivered financial as well as morale support. In this similar context, a majority of women have been observed to play a significant role during civil war, where a few of the women fought side-by-side with their brothers and husbands. While on the other hand, a number of women chose to work in army hospitals as nurses, or as spies, secret agents, couriers and provided supports in every aspect7. At the time of American Revolutionary War, women implemented their traditional abilities for serving the roles from homemakers to espionage work within military. In this similar context, both the British as well as American Armies hired women and housewives as cooks and maids. In the US military history, not only during The Civil War but also during the World Wars in the 20th century women served in roles of secret soldiers, nurses, war reliefs and spies among others8. According to a report of Armed Forces in the United Kingdom, in 2002, it was recognised that there was not any indication that women would not be able to execute efficiently in combat roles in comparison to men. The Ministry of Defence in the UK considers the role played by women in the military to be essential. In the UK military context, women at times have been observed to be serving in more challenging circumstances in recent times. The UK Armed Forces have started to position women in almost every activity with confidence in their abilities9. In 1994, in accordance with ‘Combat Exclusion Policy’, women were debarred from being assigned to ground battle units. Within the US Department of Defence, there was a recruitment rule which created a barrier for women to serve in special operation forces and armed forces because they were considered as perilous job tasks. In the year 2002, around 60% of positions in the US Army were made open to women10. However, The Pentagon had enacted certain regulations to declare that women should not be assigned the role of ground force units which implies that they were not facilitated for serving the role of infantry and special operation task forces8. According to the present scenario, the US military has changed these rules and has opened the door of opportunities for women to perform the job tasks as per their capabilities11. Today, women serve in nearly every aspect of the US military where they fly aircrafts, carry war weapons, drive vehicles though dangerous areas, guard prisoners and also provide their services in various critical functions including their traditional roles of nurses and cooks. The new policies initiated regarding the role of women in the US military are incorporated mostly in ‘Air Force’ and ‘Marine Corps’12. Conclusion Therefore, it is observed that the women play a vital role within the US military. In the history of the US military, over the years women have provided effective supports to the nation in every aspect of military service which has been a key component to fight against adversary. Women have not only served their traditional roles of nurses and cooks but also have fought battles with the armed forces. They have played an able role to protect their families as well as societies in various ways from the war effects similar to their male counterparts. Due to the observed policies by the US military, for a substantial period of time women were not permitted to serve the roles of ground forces and special combat forces. However, at present scenario, the US military has changed their rules and policies where they facilitate the women to serve the role of combat forces according to their capabilities. References Burrelli, David F., 2012. “Women in Combat: Issues for Congress”. Congressional Research Service: 1-12. Cawkill, Paul, Alison Rogers, Sarah Knight, & Laura Spear, 2009. “Women in Ground Close Combat Roles: The Experiences of other Nations and a Review of the Academic Literature” DSTL: 1-64. Harrell, Margaret C, Laura Werber Castaneda, Peter Schirmer, Bryan W. Hallmark, Jennifer Kavanagh, Daniel Gershwin and Paul Steinberg., 2007. “Assessing the Assignment Policy for Army Women”. National Defence Research Institute: 1-143. Harrison, Deborah, 2006. “The Role of Military Culture in Military Organizations’ Responses to Woman Abuse in Military Families”. The Role of Military Culture: 546-574. Kilcullen, Stephen, 2012. “Do Individuals Serve The Military Or Does The Military Serve Them?”The Intercom 36 (10): 7-16. Milko, James. D., 1990. “Beyond The Persian Gulf Crisis: Expanding The Role Of Servicewomen In The United States Military”. The American University Law Review 41: 1301- 1337. National Park Service, 2012. “Lesson Plan: Women in the War”. Stones River National Battlefield: 1-7. Patten, Eileen, and Kim Parker, 2011. “Women in the U.S. Military: Growing Share, Distinctive Profile”. Pew Social & Demographic Trends: 1-12. Putko, Michele M, and Douglas V. Johnson II, 2008. “Women in Combat Compendium”. USAWC Women in Combat Survey Interpretation: 1-75. Pritzker Military Library, 2012. “Women in the Military”. Illinois State. Stiehm, Judith. It's Our Military Too: Women and the U.S Military. United States: Temple University Press, 1996. The United States Army, No Date. “Early Women Soldiers”. History. Read More