Military Must Adjust For Women

The men pictured in the newspaper on Veterans Day wore uniforms that were decades old. The uniforms were a little tight, a little frayed. But the men squeezed into them and into the past, when the military was a mostly male place. Women served their country in the old days, but in roles very different from those they now assume.

The Army sex and violence scandal broke right around Veterans Day. Some recruits at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland have charged that they were raped and sexually harassed by their superiors. As the news broke, a national military hotline was set up. More than 2,000 callers have reported sexual misconduct on bases throughout the country; 365 of those complaints were passed to investigators.

This latest scandal is yet another symptom that the military is undergoing a radical change. Just as the old uniforms don’t fit those aging soldiers anymore, the old military no longer fits modern culture. The new military is filled with women taking their places alongside men. In training. In barracks. In the academies. And in command positions.

The military, one of the most regimented and hierarchal systems left in our culture, has not adjusted smoothly to this massive change. Violence has, and will continue, to erupt. Change is difficult in any organization. And here you are dealing with a centuries-old system designed to teach people how to defend and how to kill.

A multi-faceted attack is the only way to stop future incidents of sexual violence against women in the military. There must be a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and violence, a policy enforced at every level. Promoting more women to positions of power is another strategy. Young women need role models and mentors as they navigate their way through the military.

Finally, young women and their parents cannot be naive about the military. It is macho. It is about strength and endurance and stoicism. Young women who choose to enlist should be well-aware that they aren’t training to be teachers or social workers. They are training to protect, defend and kill. It will be tough. It should be tough. And it might not be the best career choice for many young women - or for many young men, either.

If any good is to come of this latest, shameful scandal it will be in the area of prevention. In the future, an army trainer who even considers acting out in a sexual or violent way with a subordinate will, we hope, remember the lessons of Aberdeen. And stop before any more shame gets started.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi/For the editorial board