Female soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are prevented from joining units in direct combat. Let women serve on the front lines

Imagine you have enlisted in the U.S. armed forces. You’ve gone through basic training, overcoming the same challenges as your peers. You have proved you have the strength and determination to defend our country, at whatever cost.

You’re deployed to Afghanistan, where your first assignment is providing technical support for a combat unit. You are exposed regularly to enemy fire, roadside bombs and other threats. You may even be injured while fulfilling your duties. In and out of combat, you perform bravely and capably.


Unfortunately, your combat service means little — because you are a woman.

More than 29,000 women are now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. But official policy prevents them from joining ground units engaged in direct combat or support units that travel to the front lines.

This combat-exclusion policy not only is fundamentally unfair but also is inconsistent with the realities of modern warfare.

In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is virtually impossible to distinguish between front-line and support duties. Female soldiers have assignments — like bomb disposal and intelligence — that put them in the middle of combat.

Many have won combat commendations for valor during battle. Just as many have been wounded or killed in the line of duty.

But despite these realities, female soldiers do not receive adequate combat training for ground fights — a necessity if we expect women to defend themselves and their units.

Women do learn some combat skills in basic training, but they do not receive enough training tailored to today’s unconventional warfare. By sending women into potentially dangerous situations without the means to protect themselves, the armed forces are taking unnecessary risks with the lives of our troops — and the success of U.S. military operations.

The combat-exclusion policy also prevents female soldiers from receiving the recognition they deserve, particularly when it comes to moving up the chain of command.

One reason we see so few women in high-ranking positions is that they lack combat experience. Or, if they do have it, it is rarely reflected in their service records.

The result is that many female soldiers’ military careers are cut short.

Less than a month ago, the House Armed Services Committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. This key bill determines the Defense Department’s annual budget and also offers a vehicle for other initiatives — including substantive changes to military policy.

During the committee markup, I offered an amendment that would have given military commanders the option of assigning qualified female soldiers to combat positions in Iraq, Afghanistan and other war zones.

This would have been a significant policy change. Commanders currently aren’t permitted to deploy women to the front lines — even if they feel they are capable of serving in combat.

But the committee did not get the opportunity to vote on the amendment. Instead, it passed an alternative that commissioned yet another review of military occupational positions available to female members of the armed forces.

Frankly, this study won’t give us new information. I still believe that a female soldier who has proved equal to her male peers should have the opportunity to be considered for combat duty.

I am not arguing that all women should be deployed to the front lines. Rather, commanders, who know their troops, should have the option to send qualified women into combat.

Our military leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan increasingly realize that women are capable of playing a vital role in combat missions. When commanders need to send someone to the front lines, they look at the quality of the soldier — not his or her gender.

By sticking with antiquated policies, we are undercutting the strength and integrity of our military.

Congress and our military leaders must work harder, together, to create an environment that encourages and supports the female soldiers who serve this country.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Military Personnel Subcommittee.