Could we one day have more women than men in the military?

2018-03-10T11:24:27-05:00

I know, it's a strange thought, but it just occurred to me as I'm sitting here watching my granddaughters competing in dance. (I wish I could share the videos I'm recording but my daughter would kill me. She doesn't want her children plastered all over the Internet and I can't blame her). In any event, it's obvious that for every fifty girls there's only one boy. The same was true in their gymnastics classes. Meanwhile I read that 71% of young American boys and men are unfit for military duty, mostly because of obesity. Dancers and gymnasts all have great stamina, agility, strength, and low body fat indexes. Also, I've been noticing that American women seem to be outperforming the men in Olympic and other International events. I'm guessing you get my drift my now...

Response by Capt Tom Brown made Mar 10 at 2018 11:29 AM

2018-03-10T11:29:36-05:00

I always noticed the one boy at our granddaughter's dance recitals. He was drastically outnumbered but soldiered on.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Mar 10 at 2018 11:35 AM

2018-03-10T11:35:52-05:00

Possible but unlikely

Response by LTC Jeff Shearer made Mar 10 at 2018 11:43 AM

2018-03-10T11:43:49-05:00

Jack I have never thought of that but it is certainly a possibility.

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Mar 10 at 2018 11:44 AM

2018-03-10T11:44:55-05:00

I don't envision women outnumbering men in the Military but the number I'm sure will grow. I know from my own experience serving with Woman that most kept pace with their male counterparts and were of course driven by the same Patriotism and dedication to their duties. Also it seems even physically the women don't always take a back seat either, many were more fit physically than many males, that of course depends largely on the individuals own drive and self discipline in each case, man or woman.

Response by SGT Joseph Gunderson made Mar 10 at 2018 12:08 PM

2018-03-10T12:08:50-05:00

Doubtful. Women tend to gravitate to a certain kind of career. Obviously, there are some that will enjoy what the military represents (challenge, training, chance to be a part of something bigger than one's self) and what it can provide in the long run (a stepping stone for a career, money for college, experience, character development, etc). I think that we have already seen the largest surge in female enlistment and that it will stay steady for the foreseeable future.

Response by SSG Diane R. made Mar 10 at 2018 12:25 PM

2018-03-10T12:25:35-05:00

What a very interesting idea. I am told that the Armed Forces of Novorossiya are nearly 50% female.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2018 12:28 PM

2018-03-10T12:28:51-05:00

For the sake of the survivability of our nation I certainly hope not. As good as women have done they are not capable to maintain the efficiency and lethality needed to maintain the superiority of our military. Ask yourself what would have happened in WWII if the majority of American Soldiers had been women. Be honest, things would have turned out DRAMATICALLY different. Women have done well but they are in no way capable of bearing the brunt of being the majority of the military.

Response by SGT Jamarl Jones made Mar 10 at 2018 12:44 PM

2018-03-10T12:44:05-05:00

LOL. No..... Just, no...

Response by SGT Jamarl Jones made Mar 10 at 2018 12:45 PM

2018-03-10T12:45:27-05:00

When women outnumber men in our military, or even come remotely close, it's time to start learning Russian or Mandarin.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2018 1:10 PM

2018-03-10T13:10:28-05:00

Considering women aren't voluntarily entering combat related fields in the numbers dems would have us believe, no.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Mar 10 at 2018 1:38 PM

2018-03-10T13:38:09-05:00

Never happen. Women simply aren't signing up for combat jobs like the far left envisioned.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Mar 10 at 2018 2:08 PM

2018-03-10T14:08:01-05:00

If we are still physical bodies, boots on the ground for combat no. If we continue to advance with drones and AIs, who knows. Machines don't care who drives them. What will our percentage of required boots on ground be?
LTC Jeff Shearer SMSgt Lawrence McCarter Cpl Private RallyPoint Member CPT Jack Durish Capt Tom Brown SGT Joseph Gunderson Maj Marty Hogan SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth Lt Col Jim Coe Capt Dwayne Conyers Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen LTC John Griscom @ltc stephen ford LTC Stephen F. SP5 Mark Kuzinski SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas SPC Douglas Bolton CPT Aaron Kletzing SFC Private RallyPoint Member

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Mar 10 at 2018 2:15 PM

2018-03-10T14:15:28-05:00

I certainly hope not. My wife can do it all, she gave birth to both of my children, breastfed them, and puts an accurate .308 downrange. We simply cannot afford to lose 450,000 of women like we did men in WWII, they are far to valuable. Us boys, well we are a lot more expendable.

Response by A1C Ian Williams made Mar 10 at 2018 2:39 PM

2018-03-10T14:39:32-05:00

Good afternoon, sir CPT Jack Durish While I agree that this requires much study. Perhaps we are missing the larger trend. I'm an American male who danced at Alvin Ailey and is also now serving his country in the Air Force. IF you want more fit men to join and stay fit, we should be looking at our educational modules in designing schedules. I see the women in my present unit. They cling to each other and support one another. If men want to maintain their viability as the backbone of the armed services, we need to engender a symbiotic attitude. This concept shall be deeply embedded into us. I spend most of my time while on Active duty, pulling my unit members outside and sharpening them up for leading commands one day.

Congratulations obviously to the women who are doing well. I'm still going to work hard to make the men I surround myself with to be of the highest standards at all times. COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Jeff Shearer Lt Col Charlie Brown SN Greg Wright LTC Greg Henning Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin Maj William W. 'Bill' Price MAJ Don Bigger Maj Marty Hogan SSgt Addison R. Lt Col Charlie Brown 1LT Sandy Annala SGT Joseph Gunderson COL Lee Flemming SrA Private RallyPoint Member TSgt Joe C. SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL COL Private RallyPoint Member Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Mar 10 at 2018 2:49 PM

2018-03-10T14:49:25-05:00

It may hit parity someday....like in a century, maybe. I don't see it ever approach a majority.

Response by MSG Stan Hutchison made Mar 10 at 2018 3:08 PM

2018-03-10T15:08:53-05:00

As long as the civilian world fails them, more and more women will gravitate to the military. As in the past, our military sets the standard for the rest of the world.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2018 3:26 PM

2018-03-10T15:26:34-05:00

CPT Jack Durish, I don’t know if there will ever be more women than men, but I do know all four of my granddaughters outshine my three grandsons. They aren’t obese but they are lazy and really enjoy their computers and cell phone games. Back in our day CPT Jack, we played outside and we played hard all day. TV was for nighttime and daytime was for being outside. Myself nor any of my friends were anywhere near obese. It’s pitiful if that’s why today’s young men are unfit for service due to being fat. There weren’t any fat ones at the draft board. We were all fit to go to war.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2018 3:48 PM

2018-03-10T15:48:49-05:00

The problem is more widespread than the military - the traditional roles of boys and men in society are on the decline - and unless something is done soon - women may some day soon have little other than purely recreational sporting use for men. Warmest Regards, a Sandy :)

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2014/01/are-men-obsolete-are-boys-in-danger-more-on-the-decline-of-men-and-the-boy-crisis/

Are Men Obsolete? Are Boys in Danger? More on the "Decline of Men" and the "Boy Crisis"

Are Men Obsolete? Are Boys in Danger? More on The “Decline of Men” and The “Boy Crisis” These musings were triggered by some recent articles and blog posts. A December (2013) Time article described a national effort in Sweden to erase gender distinctions that, many men say, is really aimed at erasing masculinity. Another December …

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Mar 10 at 2018 4:13 PM

2018-03-10T16:13:07-05:00

I don’t see it ever happening and here’s why. Roughly 20 years ago, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department decided that because women make up 50% of society, they wanted 40% of the Dept to be women. They tried really hard including a major push to hire women, promoting them faster then males, lowering the standards, etc. Despite their best efforts, they are no where near there 40% goal. The reason? Most women don’t want to be cops. And many of the ones that want the job, can’t pass the testing process.

It will be the same thing for the military, most women don’t want to join. It’s not in their DNA.

Response by SCPO Morris Ramsey made Mar 10 at 2018 4:22 PM

2018-03-10T16:22:16-05:00

CPT Jack Durish Watch American Ninja Warrior. Do I need to say more?

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Mar 10 at 2018 4:29 PM

2018-03-10T16:29:32-05:00

Just depends on what the military becomes. Frankly I feel that the days of massed armies on the ground going at each other are long gone. Modern warfare involves only limited ground contact between forces and the support behind those forces is more important than ever before. While there is some percentage of women in those contact forces there are many more that allow that contact to occur. Bottom line, what difference does it make?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2018 5:08 PM

2018-03-10T17:08:39-05:00

In Canada, there are more women with college degrees than men so if that trend is also the same in the United States, you will have more women officers join the military in the future.

Response by MSG Charles Turner made Mar 10 at 2018 5:19 PM

2018-03-10T17:19:27-05:00

SGT Groth,

Not a thought an old traditionalist (old fashined) like myself looks forward to happening. But there is NO REASON it could not happen...

~ole Sarge~

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2018 5:19 PM

2018-03-10T17:19:55-05:00

We already do....
Oh you mean physically...my bad lol

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Mar 10 at 2018 5:28 PM

2018-03-10T17:28:28-05:00

Absolutely. Technology is the great equalizer.

As the mission of the military alters, we’ll see all kinds of changes. Our current mission is global stability. Our former mission was national defense. Our future mission will likely be some sort of humanitarian aid. I can definitely see that being more female centric.

When we get out of “grunt” work into “aid” work shift will happen. Admin and medical is where we see “more” female personnel.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 10 at 2018 5:53 PM

2018-03-10T17:53:43-05:00

I don't think there is a trend of females being more fit than males, you are just at an event with fit females and comparing them to the general population.

Response by SFC Kelly Fuerhoff made Mar 10 at 2018 6:36 PM

2018-03-10T18:36:17-05:00

It could. Who knows? We'll have to wait and see.

Didn't things like gymnastics and cheerleading used to be primarily male back in the day? Now it's primarily female...so things could switch like that too. It's hard to tell. Probably not any time soon.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Mar 10 at 2018 6:45 PM

2018-03-10T18:45:07-05:00

In somebody's imagination where direct action and close quarter combat such as Urban Warfare no longer exists, then women could outnumber men in the military IMHO CPT Jack Durish.
The first service which could become woman dominated would be the USAF IMHO.
The last would be the USMC and US Army.
As long as there are enemies of this nation from state actors to non-state actors there will be a need for more men then women in the direct combat roles of infantry, cavalry and armor including LRP and recon and all direct action special operations and interagency capability forces.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Orlando Illi Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Capt Tom Brown MSG Andrew White SFC William Farrell SGT Private RallyPoint Member Sgt Albert Castro SSG David Andrews Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. CPL Dave Hoover SGT Mark Halmrast SPC Margaret Higgins SrA Christopher Wright

Response by PV2 Scott Goodpasture made Mar 10 at 2018 7:00 PM

2018-03-10T19:00:32-05:00

Well the way the progressives have the millennials confused about their gender who can say?

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Mar 10 at 2018 8:12 PM

2018-03-10T20:12:13-05:00

Depends on how they self-identify doesn’t it?

Response by SSG Warren Swan made Mar 11 at 2018 12:14 AM

2018-03-11T00:14:45-05:00

You're status are correct, so why not? WWII was shown in the media to have been won on the strength of the men who fought over there. WWII was WON on the strength of the women who made the war machine happen, and maintained it. NASA was shown to be superior based on "wild and brave" pilots who were to become astronauts, but NASA's TRUE strength was in the women who's analytical skills were well above their male peers who crunched the hard numbers to make spaceflight happen.

Women have had to work twice as hard as any man to get halfway up a man's ladder. When given the equal chance to show their skills, they've been belittled, harassed, and their accomplishments downplayed. Recent examples would be Rangers, EMFB qualifications (where the female is falling over the finish. She actually was well ahead of many men, but that wasn't shown), and Marine Corps Infantry officers course. I'm waiting for the first CSA, CSAF, CNO, Commandant, and at the head of the table is a well dignified woman in uniform wearing four stars telling these men and woman what we're going to do next. I fear no man on earth, but I'm not dumb enough to f*ck with a determined woman. Lead, Follow, but get the hell out of her way.

http://fox6now.com/2018/02/26/milwaukee-native-on-track-to-become-1st-female-commanding-officer-in-naval-history/

Milwaukee native on track to become 1st female commanding officer in naval history

MILWAUKEE --The deck of a nuclear warship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is a dangerous and loud place to be; beneath the deck, it’s not much different especially when you run into Captain Amy Bauernschmidt. The Milwaukee native is second in command of the USS Abraham Lincoln. It’s one of 11 aircraft carriers stationed around the world; more than 3,000 sailors work on it and call it home. Of all the voices echoing in the ages old ship,...

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 11 at 2018 11:51 AM

2018-03-11T11:51:44-04:00

I think once powered combat armor becomes a reality physical size won’t matter as much but until that time it does. Statistically speaking men are stronger than women. There is some over lap with large strong women and small weaker men but that is not the norm. Men have a lot more testosterone. That helps them build muscles.

As far as a tempermental thing goes, most women do not have the personality to enjoy being in the military. I think the military will remain majority male but the percentage of women might increase a bit more.

I also think there should be some kind of national service requirement for all but not necissarily only military service as a choice. Peace corps, teach for america, volunteer firefighter, volunteer rescue squad and things like that should be choices too.

Response by SPC Casey Ashfield made Mar 11 at 2018 7:42 PM

2018-03-11T19:42:01-04:00

In general population of the military? Such as logistics, tech support, and medical fields? Women already do outnumber men in certain MOS fields. I know plenty of lonely male soldiers who would find excuses (almost borderline malingering) to go visit MED BN where all the female staff seemed to be working. Even if it were just for eye candy.

Now in combat roles? I would not think or hope so. I have met some incredible military women in my career, with some incredible stories and experiences. All of them have made me blush and feel sheepish when they have said they could never do Infantry, even if it were available to them.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 11 at 2018 8:39 PM

2018-03-11T20:39:04-04:00

Hope so, a lot men now a days want to be the women.

Response by LTJG Richard Bruce made Mar 12 at 2018 10:39 PM

2018-03-12T22:39:34-04:00

Nothing stopping the USA from doing it now. Require all females to register with the Selective Service and tell recruiters not to contact males. Send only females to Boot Camp. There is no law that says men have to be in the military.