Rep. Duncan Hunter said he’s eyeing legislation to try to address women in combat, but wasn't sure yet what that would entail. | JAY WESTCOTT/POLITICO Rep. Duncan Hunter: Navy secretary a 'greater threat' to Marines than ISIL

Rep. Duncan Hunter has had enough of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus' strong support for opening all Marine combat posts to women, declaring him "a greater threat to the Marine Corps than ISIS.”

The Republican congressman and Marine veteran from California, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is furious with Mabus for pushing through an end to the ban on women serving in all combat positions over the Marine Corps' objections. Particularly, he's taking exception to memo Mabus sent to the Marines Corps this week, instructing it integrate Marine boot camp, which has been separate for men and women, and change job titles so they’re gender neutral.


“These are long lasting,” Hunter told POLITICO. “These changes that they’re making are not thought out, they’re not researched, they’ve not been debated. The American public has no idea what’s going on … It’s going to get people killed.”

A spokesman for Mabus declined to comment on Hunter’s remarks.

Last month, Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered all military combat positions opened to women, and the services are currently in the process of figuring out how best to do that. The move was a controversial one for the Marines, which wanted to keep some infantry positions closed to women.

The Marines conducted a study that found integrated units underperformed compared those with only men. But Mabus and others argued the study was flawed.

A member of the House Armed Services Committee, Hunter has long been critical of the Navy secretary on a range of issues. And in September he called for Mabus’s resignation after his criticism of the Marines’ gender integration study.

In an op-ed published on Fox News Friday, Hunter said the Marines’ findings were swept aside because they did not fit the White House political agenda. He charged the Obama administration’s move to open all combat posts to women was “ripping apart” the fabric of the Marines and prompting some to leave the service.

“The reason the military is there is not to be a transgender, corporate organization,” Hunter said, referring to the Pentagon’s plans to allow transgender service members to serve openly. “The military is there to execute American policy overseas, protect our allies and kill our enemies. It’s not a corporation. We’re not all treated equal.”

Hunter said he’s eyeing legislation to try to address women in combat, but wasn't sure yet what that would entail.

House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) have said they want to hold hearings on the issue, but neither has suggested they'll try to block the changes.

Hunter said that many congressional colleagues — Republicans and Democrats alike — were avoiding the issue. “Other members of Congress don’t want to talk about this,” he said.