When the first women graduated from the enlisted infantry course in November 2013, I was exuberant. Deployed to Afghanistan at the time, I remember adding this to my list of updates for our morning staff meeting. None of the men at the staff meeting seemed as excited as I was. Perhaps I should not have … Continue reading Origins of the Ground Combat Element Integrated Task Force (GCEITF)
Infantry
Israel: Women in Combat
Women's suffering power is bigger. They reach into a world that we don't (have access to).IDF Leader, 2014 My grandmother said, "Do it for me too, because I wanted to be a fighter too."Caracal Battalion soldier, 2014 As the Marine Corps began researching women's integration into ground combat roles, it sought to better understand other … Continue reading Israel: Women in Combat
Hiking Under Load, Part 3
Gentlemen, size matters. The quote is funny for obvious reasons. But the leader's point remains - and it has nothing to do with the usual connotation behind "size matters". Partially, he was right. When it comes to hiking, size matters. Long before the research results were public, the assumption that women's smaller size (on average) … Continue reading Hiking Under Load, Part 3
The Unit Family (Enlisted Infantry Training)
Gender integration has nothing to do with the women and everything to do with the men. Senior Marine Leader, 2014 It took me a long time (and a deep dive in grad school) to understand this statement. All the research, all the senior leader questions and general apprehensions surrounding gender integration revolved around the women. … Continue reading The Unit Family (Enlisted Infantry Training)
Equipment (Enlisted Infantry Training)
Everybody gets one. All the planning in the world cannot prepare you for everything. We joke in the Marine Corps that "proper prior planning prevents . . . poor performance". We usually say this after someone has failed to plan and suffered the consequences. We also say, "no plan survives first contact". Essentially, this means … Continue reading Equipment (Enlisted Infantry Training)
Laughable Concerns (Enlisted Infantry Training)
We had gone in with (some) laughable concerns.Male Infantry Officer, ITB-East, 2013 As the staff at Infantry Training Battalion (ITB) began planning, they thought through expected challenges. What would be different about training women than training men? For the women in my audience, your reaction might be, "not much". But the men at ITB didn't … Continue reading Laughable Concerns (Enlisted Infantry Training)
Standards, Part 1 (Enlisted Infantry Training)
How many points does it take to win a basketball game? Male Infantry Officer "Just set the standard." "As long as they can meet the standard." "We're not lowering the standard." The Marine Corps remained steadfastly dedicated to "the standard" throughout the research period. Yet, defining that "standard" proved interminably difficult. Why? Virtually every standard … Continue reading Standards, Part 1 (Enlisted Infantry Training)
Women in Enlisted Infantry Training – Beginnings
I don't think that we would have gotten the results we did if we didn't have the leadership we had.Chief Warrant Officer 2 Billy Shinault, January 2021 This post will be the first in a series which looks at the women's integration into the enlisted infantry course. Unlike the officer's course, I have numerous official … Continue reading Women in Enlisted Infantry Training – Beginnings
The Infantry Officer’s Course
"There is certainly nothing magical or attractive about fighting. It’s hard, dirty, unpleasant work. But I believe that women don’t want to fight any more than our men. They merely ask for the opportunity to share the full burden of defense, should the need arise.”COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS LOU WILSON, SPEAKING TO THE WOMEN … Continue reading The Infantry Officer’s Course
Breaking Into the Brotherhood 