A Goal for Women

Review by Bill Doughty––

I can only imagine the disappointment of the authors of this book, Ruth Margolies Beitler and Sarah M. Gerstein, for what they left out of their assessment of women in the world’s militaries.

Their “Women and the Military: Global Lives in Focus” (ABC-CLIO, LLC; 2021) is part of an ambitious series looking into issues such as health, violence, religion, sexuality, sports, education, technology, and more.

The goal of the series is spelled out in a foreword:

“The goal of the ‘Women and Society Around the World’ series is to depict the roles of women worldwide by exploring the major issues they face and the accomplishments they have made, especially in terms of bridging the gap in gender inequality and fighting for basic human rights. While readers will learn about the challenges that half of the world’s population face, they will also discover the empowering ways women succeed and overcome social and cultural barriers in their daily lives.”

The series and this contribution about the world’s militaries examines the “challenges, issues, and achievements women around the world face” in a still largely male-dominated world.

This book about the world's militaries is divided into eight regions: United States and Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and East Asia, and Oceania. The authors admit that “exploring the role of women in militaries across the globe is a daunting task,” especially considering the depth, breadth, and diversity of nations and cultures.

Still, as good as this volume is, we can’t help but be dismayed about one country which has been left out. More on that in a moment.

First, let’s look at what’s really noteworthy. The authors conclude that “women are playing a larger role in militaries across the globe, but especially in the West.” Another conclusion: “When women have proven competent in their positions, and their male colleagues trust their abilities, the negative stereotypes connected to gender decrease.”

Culture change is occurring throughout much of the world as traditional roles for women change. Still, in many countries, it is forbidden for women to serve in the military.

But throughout Europe and in many international organizations, legislation dealing with gender equality has accelerated transformation.

“The UN’s adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000 pushed most international organizations dealing with security issues, such as the European Union and the North Atlantic Trade (sic) [Treaty] Organization (NATO), to prioritize gender mainstreaming and the integration of women into militaries across the globe. When exploring Europe, it is critical to examine how the European Union impacts its member states’ armed forces, particularly with regard to security and gender. Each member state has different political institutions and public cultures that influence their policies on gender (Eulriet 2012, 30). At times, the legal structure of regional and international organizations affects the legal structure of states.”

Beitler

Beitler and Gerstein discuss issues such as conscription, physical strength, pregnancy, unit cohesion, combat arms, and sexual harassment as they compare attributes, traditional values, customs/laws, and roles.

Along the way, they naturally unearth some fascinating factoids:

• In Indonesia, women who join the military have a “requirement for a virginity test.”
• After the Sierra Leone civil war, many women there who reported they served as soldiers had been raped, and they were “encouraged to allow grandparents to raise their children or to marry their rapists.”
• South Africa fully integrated ethnic and gender minorities after apartheid and is “an example for other nations to follow.”
• Norway was the first country to create an all-female special forces unit, in 2014, called Hunter troops.
• Australia and New Zealand militaries opened all roles to women at the beginning of this century, earlier than the US or UK.
• Russian women in uniform conduct a popular beauty pageant for their strategic missile forces called “Makeup Under Camouflage.”
• Restrictions for women exist in Japan “due to the domestic Labor Standards Law, which protects women from substances that could affect pregnancies.”

The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) training ships JS Kashima (TV 3508) and JS Shimayuki (TV 3513), June 23, 2020, in the South China Sea. Gabrielle Giffords was on a rotational deployment, operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force. (MC2 Brenton Poyser)

Beginning with the direct influence of Adm. Arleigh S. Burke, the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force have had close and lasting ties. Considering the number of American sailors and marines serving in Japan, the section on Japan’s military may be of particular interest to the naval community.

“In 2013, two women took command of the naval destroyers, JS Shimayuki and JS Setoyuki, for the first time since Japan’s modern navy began. Commander Miho Omani and Commander Ryoko Azuma were responsible largely for training missions but could be called upon for surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and anti-ship missions, as well as detecting and shooting down aircraft and ballistic missiles (Spitzer 2013). Just a few years after her successful command of the naval training destroyer, Commander Omani took command of the Yamagiri destroyer, overseeing a crew of 220. Just ten of those crew members were women. She was also one of the first female graduates at the National Defense Academy. After seeing images of the Gulf War on the news and a newspaper ad for the National Defense Academy, she joined the military, expecting some resistance. She quickly realized that opposition would emanate much closer to home. Her father was reluctant for her to join the military. Her path to success was challenging and after her marriage, she was asked when she would be leaving her job. She is currently married to a fellow destroyer captain and has been forced to make hard decisions about who would care for her daughter when both are out to sea (Demetriou 2016). Women in the Japanese military can take up to three years off after the birth of a child, though the Japanese culture has discouraged women from taking that time.”

The excerpt above gives us an idea of the personal and professional insights presented in this book, which also offers extensive “for further reading” lists, a chronology of history of women in the world’s militaries since 1572, and a fulsome bibliography.

There are surprising inclusions of various militaries: Nepalese, Zairian, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Ecuador, Burundi, Seychelles, and Barbados, to name a few. Which makes it even more glaringly disappointing about the absence of …

... Ukraine.

There is no discussion about the Ukraine military and women’s role in the armed forces in a country currently confronting Putin’s atrocities. Today, Ukraine’s men are required to defend their homeland against the unprovoked Russian invasion in Putin’s war, but women are also increasingly picking up arms and finding other ways to fight back.

According to a report on NPR from March 19, “The combat spirit in Ukraine right now appears to be pretty robust. Only men face conscription. But lots of them haven't even been called up yet, because the military has already been inundated with volunteers — of all genders.”

The only mention of Ukraine in “Women and the Military” is in the context of conscription –– but in the Swedish armed forces (ironic considering Ukraine's deep history with Sweden, centuries ago).

“With changes in Swedish culture espousing gender equality, retaining the military as an all-male domain was unrealistic. The Swedish government never implemented universal conscription, and by 2010 Sweden eliminated compulsory military service. Only 5,000 soldiers were being drafted with conscription perceived as a relic of previous times (Chandler 2017). However, by 2017, the Swedish government announced the reinstatement of conscription due to Russian activity, including its aggressive behavior in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea. Sweden also accused Russia of breaching its airspace and executing cyberattacks in Sweden (Chandler 2017). The draft includes both men and women.”

Of course, Beitler and Gerstein could have little idea that Ukraine would be the center of the world’s attention in 2022, the year after their book was published.

As for nations such as Sweden, Finland, and others near Russia, there’s a renewed desire to strengthen their nations’ defenses. According to an article by analyst Dan Kochis, posted by the Heritage Foundation, “Putin is pushing Finland and Sweden closer to NATO membership.”

While this book leans in with an Army bias, there is a broad-brush approach to various branches and to world regions. (Dr. Beitler is a professor of comparative politics at the United States Military Academy, West Point, where Maj. Gerstein is an assistant professor of international relations.)

It’s nice to see a volume about women and the military in this ABC-CLIO series that purports to present a global perspective about women. Volumes are meant to be read alone or cumulatively. The series foreword notes, “The volumes are ideal for high school students doing projects, undergraduate students writing research papers, and even general readers interested in learning about women’s lives.” Another good source of information for Women’s History Month!

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We remember the great political scientist and diplomat Madeleine Albright, who was the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State. Albright died last week at 84. Albright spoke at the Pentagon on June 30, 2016, after then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter presented Albright with the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. (DoD photo by Senior Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz)

Albright was a child when her family emigrated out of autocratic Communist Czechoslovakia to the United States.

She warned of the signs of growing autocracy, tyranny, and fascism.

I posted a review of Albright's "Fascism: A Warning" in September 2018 and showed her strong connections with Navy veteran and U.S. Senator John McCain. Both stood up to fear-mongering authoritarianism.

Here again are Albright's ten questions about leaders we need to ask as either reassurance or a warning. In the case of Putin's Russia, Albright's insights were a clear warning more than four years ago:

• Do they cater to our prejudices by suggesting that we treat people outside our ethnicity, race, creed, or party as unworthy of dignity or respect?
• Do they want us to nurture our anger toward those who we believe have done us wrong, rub raw our grievances, and set our sights on revenge?
• Do they encourage us to have contempt for our governing institutions and the electoral process?
• Do they seek to destroy our faith in essential contributors to democracy such as an independent press and a professional judiciary?
• Do they exploit the symbols of patriotism – the flag, the pledge – in a conscious effort to turn us against one another?
• If defeated at the polls, will they accept the verdict or insist without evidence that they have won?
• Do they go beyond asking for our votes to brag about their ability to solve all problems, put to rest all anxieties, and satisfy every desire?
• Do they solicit our cheers by speaking casually and with pumped up machismo about using violence to blow enemies away?
• Do they echo the attitude of Mussolini: 'The crowd doesn't have to know,' all it has to do is believe and 'submit to being shaped'?
• Or do they invite us to join with them in building and maintaining a healthy center for our societies, a place where rights and duties are apportioned fairly, the social contract is honored, and all have room to dream and grow?

In "Fascism: A Warning," Albright described Russia's Putin, as "small and pale, so cold as to be almost reptilian." 

Last week President Biden, after visiting American troops defending NATO allies and partners, described Putin as a brutal "butcher" who must be stopped. Albright warned us; stopping the growth of fascism and authoritarianism should be a goal for everyone.

President Biden visits and takes selfies with U.S. Army paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division, March 25, 2022 in Rzeszów, Poland. (Sgt. Gerald Holman)