English

DTIC ADA436535: A Soldier is a Soldier: Successful Gender Integration in the Armed Forces

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Machiavelli The political aftermath of war has often effected significant force structure change in the American armed services. Following World War II, President Truman issued an Executive Order in 1948 to racially integrate the armed forces despite strong objections from civilian and military leaders. The Korean War affirmed the validity of this decision, particulary for combat effectiveness. The end of the Viet Nam war saw the termination of military conscription and the genesis of an all-volunteer force. The tremendous success of the Gulf War attested to both the war fighting capability of this volunteer force and the unequivocal contributions of military women under combat conditions. It also demonstrated the clear contradictions of the combat exclusion policies. Following Operation Desert Storm, the 102nd Congress repealed all statutory restrictions on the assignment of female aviators to combat missions.

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