¶ … Military # Combat # Women Summary of Incorporated Changes

Originally, my study was geared at examining the role of women in the noncombatant arm of the military, particularly intelligence collection. More specifically, it was directed at determining why women are likely to perform better than men in HUMINT collection, and why, therefore, therefore, the military stands to benefit from increasing their role in the same. My thesis committee, however, thinks that the study would be more viable and relevant if it covered the role of women not only in the noncombat arm, but in the combat arm as well. According to Ms. Amanda Bowers, one of the three committee members, the inclusion of women in combat roles in the military is the newest and most controversial subject among military officials today, and the study stands to realize a greater impact and be more relevant to the prevailing situation if it incorporates the same. For this reason, I have modified my thesis statement to cover the role of women in combat as well as in the noncombat arm. The new topic for the proposed study, therefore, reads, "The Role of Women in Combat and in HUMINT Intelligence Gathering." The thesis will now seek to determine how the military stands to benefit from increasing the participation of women in the combat arm, particularly artillery, armor and infantry, and in the intelligence gathering function. I will be intent on assessing the viability of these...

Originally, the study was based on two research questions -- i) why are women considered effective in the role of HUMINT intelligence gathering; and ii) what are the advantages of using women in the collection of HUMINT? Owing to the expanded scope of the thesis, three additional research questions have been formulated. These are:
i) What biological qualities enhance women's effectiveness in the combat arm?

There is no doubt that men are more aggressive than women, which is perhaps why they have historically been given preference in primary roles in the combat arm. However, studies have shown that this very aggressive nature of the male species causes it to be more prone to injuries and accidents. A study by Thompson (2013) showed that military men report twice as many eye injuries as their female counterparts in combat operations. Experts believe the low injury rates for military women are due to the fact that women are biologically more nurturing, and their basic form of nurturing, motherhood, causes them to injure or crash themselves less often. To add credence to the role of women in the combat arm, the study will review the autobiographies of women who served in active duty in the two post-9/11 theatres…