Report: Women injured twice as often as men in combat training

Spc. McGee, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, Field Artillery Surveyor speaks about female soldiers in combat jobs.

The issue of women in combat is no doubt a very controversial one. The recent news of two female officers who completed the Army Ranger course, certainly indicates that some women would be able to pass general infantry training.

However, data obtained by the Center for Military Readiness (CMR) is showing that “women in the military occupational specialty (MOS) of artillery surveyor meteorological crew member suffered more than double the injuries of men.”

The CMR data also showed that women in basic combat, combat vehicle maintenance and engineers training had the same injury ratio. CMR is a research group that opposes putting women in direct land combat in infantry, armor, artillery and special operations units.

According to the Washington Times, the research group filed several Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain documents from the Army on injury rates for women. Specifically– for women enrolled in combat job experiments since 2012. “The Army turned over mounds of reports from its Medical Command and the Army Institute of Public Health,” the Times article said.

“Double risks of injury among women, combined with expected absences due to pregnancy and other gender-related issues, would be even more problematic in small combat units,” said CMR’s Elaine Donnelly.

“Military women have a right to know about risks related to differences in physiology, which are not going to change,” she added.

Despite this report, the Obama Administration’s plan is to introduce women into virtually all MOS’s.  Defense Secretary Ashton Carter already has stated publicly that most or all will be opened to women.

Retired General Raymond Odierno remains optimistic: “We’ve done really incredible studies over the last two years. We’ve integrated women into all our formations, and again, it is about can they meet the standard or not, and if they can, we lean towards the fact it would probably be good if we allowed them to serve.”

But Donnelly says: “It is easy to take our military for granted. It is the best in the world. It will not stay that way, however, if officials combine severe budget cuts with misguided social experiments.”