Women in combat: Why operational capability must be the prime determinant of employment policy

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Much public argument on the issue of broadening the employment of female personnel in combat roles is misinformed and based on assumptions and outright myths supposedly supporting or disproving the validity of such employment. Informed debate, on the other hand, cannot occur unless it addresses the many complexities involved. These include tackling what combat actually entails (rather than what many wrongly assume it entails); what gender-based restrictions set by government actually apply currently, how they apply and the reasons for them; how they might be further refined; what and how various operational contexts are relevant; what physiological, bio-mechanical, physicality, equipment procurement and training implications need consideration before further changes are introduced; what strategic, operational, professional or technical matters and nuances need discussion; what are the potential moral dilemmas that need considering; and what risks of equity-intent versus inequity-result paradoxes need to be avoided or risk-managed when further refining combat employment policies.

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