Customer Reviews

The Kinder, Gentler Military: Can America's Gender-Neutral Fighting Force Still Win Wars (Lisa Drew Books)

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1 star:		(6)

 

 

Many of you who are looking at this book to be a caustic rebuke of feminism may find this book dissapointing. Ms Gutmann's primary thesis is that the military's integration of women at all levels has changed the military culture. She persuasively argues that this culture change has substantially weakened our military's ability to fight and win our nations battles. She uses several examples throughout the book and I have to say that for a woman who has never been in uniform her facts and descriptions of the armed forces are impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't agree with her more. As a last note, she writes an excellent review of the entire Tailhook scandal which is noteworthy in my mind. Bravo!

Great book! Finally, someone with some sense tells the truth about the embarrassing state of our armed forces. This book is an interresting and objective overview of the effects of the forced integration of women into the services during the 90s. Spending 1994-1998 in the Marine Corps myself, I have to sadly admit that I have witnessed those effects myself. I liked this book because it was written by a civilian woman, in a totally unbiased way. It is full of great examples, most of which were startling to me. This book tells the sad truth, and should be read by any citizen who cares for our beloved country, especially former and current service members, veterans, and, of course,the feminnists. It is an outrage that we, as a society, can allow such weakening of the very forces which are charged with providing us with protection. Our military is becoming a joke, and in the end the joke will be on all of us. If you care about the safety of your family and your country, this book is a must- read. It is an eye-opener. I give great thanks to the author.

I discussed Gutmann's book with a friend who is quite liberal; I am not. I reviewed her main points, and, as ususal, we disagreed. In a remarkable parallel to the text, our conversation went something like: "War is a human experience that men are best genetically programmed and adapted to conduct" - "That is a sexist, incorrect, and undefensible position"; "Women are not physically or culturally identical to men in the tasks required of war" - "It doesn't matter, the tasks can be reengineered"; "The agenda of radical feminists is to alter the military without regard to combat readiness" - "Get used to it; things are changing and military men must change with the times"; "Male warriors are disenchanted with social engineering at the cost of declining combat capability" - "Then they can leave"; "They are indeed leaving, and in huge numbers" - "Good riddance to those dinosaurs"; "What happens when we have a war?" - "There won't be any more wars."; "What then is the purpose of the military" - "To provide jobs and opportunities in an area previously denied to women and to manage the few minor conflicts using technology rather than blood." Gutmann convincingly argues that the Emperor, if not yet naked, is shedding his military uniform right in front of us and happily describing his trendy new clothes, while the court syncopants marvel at his revolutionary and morally correct fashion. If the crowd is heard snickering, the palace guard moves in until the crowd quiets. If you listen, as Gutmann has done, to the whispering voices in the crowd, solid citizens are saying, "He's gonna be stark naked pretty soon!". Having been in the military as an enlisted Marine and as an Air Force officer, passage after passage, source after source in Gutmann's book resonated with me. Her compelling question is whether a feminized, sanitized, politicized military can fight and win, and thereby justify our nation's expense and sacrifice. Gutmann doesn't take a position; rather, she goes to the mid and junior level officers and mid-level enlisted personnel and, in a politically correct manner, lets their voices be heard. And, in an equally politally correct manner, at least half of her sources are women. I have many friends and contacts in the military and, after reading "A Kinder, Gentler Military" I have a better understanding of their discouragement and frustration in trying to keep their units combat oriented and mentally and physically ready -- and I understand better why young officers and enlisted people are leaving -- in droves. For anyone interested in our national defense, how our tax dollars are being spent in achieving it, and whether we can fight and win, Gutmann is a highly recommended read.

Stephanie Gutmann has fired a powerful salvo at the forces of political correctness. As an ex-Marine with combat experience, I have followed military issues with utter disbelief since I left in 1984. Finally an articulate spokesperson for millions of perplexed GIs and veterans has taken on the taboo subject of how our armed forces have changed their focus from war fighting to gender equality, sexual harassment, prenatal care and childcare issues to the detriment of military efficacy. The fact that Gutmann is a civilian woman lends credibility to her objective observations and conclusions. All who are interested in and especially those who influence military policy must read this book.

Ms. Gutmann's book is an exact accounting of how the world of 'political correctness' has destroyed our military. Ms. Gutmann also exposes the many politicans and military brass that betrayed the military man and woman. As a former Women Marine, I find this book essential reading for every citizen who loves this country.

Historians differ on what causes the fall of a civilization, but certainly an inability to fight off new invaders is involved in the mix eventually. Rome, for example, had such extended frontiers that it could not recruit enough troops to maintain them all, and attacks from without had more and more success.

In America's new self-defined role as global peacekeeper, we look a lot like Rome.

Stephanie Gutmann argues with ever fiber of her soul that our current approach to gender integrating the military will hurt us in a future war. This is especially likely to happen in a repeat of the Somalia experience if urban guerrilla combat is involved. The key argument relates to the observation (in the military) that many women cannot perform the strength tasks that are essential in many combat and combat support roles. This includes loading artillery shells, carrying 80 pound packs, removing injured comrades and changing truck tires. In integrated teams, the men often have to do the women's work which reduces team effectiveness.

The danger to military effectiveness is broader than that, however. In training with integrated troops, the training is physically reduced to accommodate the needs of women and the men don't get as much training as they would benefit from. In addition, women are injured much more frequently in doing tough tasks so units are often understaffed due to unexpected losses of personnel.

Third, the rules of proper sexual conduct toward the opposite sex have been applied in a way similar to work environments in the civilian world, and the limitations put people on edge in tight quarters like aircraft carriers. Basic training has had to be revised to be a confidence building exercise, rather than a rite of passage that prepares one to fight. Drill sergeants spend as much time worrying about how to protect themselves against unfounded sexual harrassment charges as in training the troops.

Thousands of top-performing military people have seen their careers ended by the aggressive efforts to make a gender-neutral military. Many more fail to re-up because they don't like the new style.

The fundamental cause of these problems seems to be a civilian world that has grown unfamiliar with the military. Where congresswomen and men at one time mostly had served in the military, relatively few have that experience now. Civilians who lobby Congress on gender issues have even less knowledge. So, in many cases, the new rules are coming from the relatively uninformed. Descriptions of congressional fact-finding trips make it seem like that uninformed status is likely to continue.

Both the Navy (after the Tailhook convention in 1991) and the Army (after the conviction of a drill instructor on rape charges) found themselves unable to fend off the pressure to go as gender neutral as possible. The Marines have fought off the pressure and don't seem to have the same problems that the other services have due to gender issues, and physical strength is an issue on many fewer jobs in the Air Force.

At bottom, the military is having a harder and harder time recruiting. That's what made it attractive to add more women in the first place. But only so many women want to and can handle the tough military jobs. The more feminized the military, the fewer gung-ho men who want to join for ordinary jobs. It looks like a train wreck getting ready to happen.

In reading this cautionary tale, I was reminded on the experiments with New Math in the schools a generation ago that left many people with an inability to do math. Not all new initiatives work. While there are certainly benefits to having a more gender friendly military, there are limits to how far this should go. It seems like we may have passed those limits, based on the observations of hundreds of military people and studies cited in this book.

Clearly, there have been important benefits to the improvements in treating women in the military. We should be sure that we don't lose those as the line of where to stop is redrawn.

I was especially interested in the experiences in Israel and Canada. I had believed that women routinely are in the infantry in Israel. That's not true. Women have more restricted military roles in Israel than in the U.S. Canada has gone further than the U.S. and it has not gone well for them.

Check it out and see what you think!

This is a wonderful case study of the beaucratic, communication, disbelief, and misconception stalls at work. I hope some good stallbusters get to work in cleaning up this mess for the mutual benefit of all American citizens and all our military people!

Donald Mitchell

There are a few words I can use here to describe this book: sickening, appalling, shocking. Not the writer, not the book, but the SUBJECT is seen in that light. Stephanie Gutmann has taken a politically taboo topic and hammered it into perspective in a way that damn well better shock the reader. Those of us who have put it on the line in combat, or in other dangerous situations created by military service, take our hats off to her. She has written what should be required reading for every hand-wringing liberal politician who, for politically correct expediency, has helped create these policies which have turned our fighting forces into nothing but uniformed day care centers and our ships into different versions of The Love Boat. Somebody MUST step forward and pipe up before it's too late. THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES. Thanks, Stephanie. I wish you luck in getting this book into the hands of those who need to read and heed what you have said.

This book, written by a civilian, takes a look at the deterioration of the level of training performed in the armed forces. This book tells the effects of having women in positions that they are not "up to par". There are many women that can and do compete with their male counterparts, but most just don't match up. This book asks the questions- Are we ready for war? Will we win? As a US Marine, I have witnessed the difference in training the women are subjected to. Not only are the standards lower, they ARE treated differently, given more chances. I am a Fire Fighter in the Marines and I have personally witnessed the "gentler" way they are treated. They do have to complete the same objectives, but with more time and coaxing. This book is a real eye opener to anyone interested in the state of the military today. The fact that this book is written by a CIVILIAN WOMAN, makes it even more credible.

Did you suspect that women are NEVER going to make good combat soldiers? That all the propaganda concerning the achievements of the new "gender neutral" military is nonsense? If so, then this book will give you more than enough material to confirm your worst suspicions.

Stephanie Gutman is a journalist who spent years visiting bases and talking to servicemen (and women). Her research has enabled her to present the US military as it has become--a place where men suffer daily humiliation in order to pelase a few women whom everybody knows cannot and never will be able to engage an enemy in combat. No wonder that, in spite of unprecedented sums spent on recruitment, the Services cannot find the personnel they need; and that many of the personnel they DO have are leaving as fast as their contracts permit them to do so.

Deos it matter? Perhaps not. After all, these are peaceful times. The US is more secure than at any time during the present century; therefore, the fact that the presence of women is turning the military into a (bad) joke can safgely be ignored. On the other hand, should the US ever again find itself in a situation where it has to fight it is very likely to find itself without a military that can do so. Gutman in her excellent book demonstrates all this in great detail--and with the aid of people who know the situaiton at first hand. Read this book and make others read it. Perhaps the madness can still be stopped.

Stephanie Gutman has provided a remarkably incisive book for someone who has little background in military affairs. Considering that ex-military men (and many women) get written off as "dinosaurs" or worse for making the same argument makes this book even more important.

While not perfect, Gutman lays out a sound argument that women have a critical role to play in today's military, but that there are some things that they just can't do as well as men. Nothing to be ashamed of, it's just basic physical differences between the sexes. She also clearly states that women are not the perennial victims that one may believe watching the mainstream media, but bear a good bit of the blame for current problems with gender integration.

If women were equal in every way to men, then we wouldn't have women's colleges or sports teams. There are many things I think they do better, particularly in fields concerning communications and intelligence analysis. Placing them in roles that call for heavy physical activity is problematic enough in peacetime, but a possible mission-killer in wartime.

I can only hope Gutman's book gets some more coverage from a press that is all to willing to buy the Pentagon's official line that there are "no problems" with the current state of affairs.