The influence of gender on the combat readiness of the US Navy
The first women in American navy became nurses during the civil war, although they were civilians and did not serve.
The situation changed in 1908 with the appointment of the Sacred Twenty. This first group of 20 nurses entered the service after Congress established the Navy Nursing Corps on May 13, 1908.
The first large-scale recruitment of women occurred during World War I, as the navy needed to fill a shortage of clerical workers onshore.
In an effort to recruit women into the service, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels found a loophole in the US Naval Reserve Act of 1916, which permitted the recruitment of qualified "men."
Since then, especially in the last decade, most restrictions on the service of women in the navy have been lifted. They now serve in nearly every maritime community, from submarines to the International Space Station.
A warning
The author must immediately warn that this is not just a story about the sexual preferences of American sailors, but a study of one of the problems affecting the social climate and indirectly on the combat readiness of the US Navy.
The Department of Defense and the US Navy do not like to publicly discuss this topic, but nevertheless devote a lot of attention to this issue and spend significant resources on the fight.
Sexual violence has always been a problem, but in light of recent events, it seems that both its prevalence and the magnitude of the problem have received widespread publicity.
Causes
The most worried about the US Navy are not the officers, although there are problems with them too, namely the rank and file and junior command personnel.
Young men in military service are like any other young man in terms of their sexual energy.
In the navy, their "mature energy" can become especially intense due to living conditions in very close quarters for extended periods of time, sometimes in dangerous circumstances.
But even at the port, on patrol, or at a college dorm party, many young military personnel and students experience their age-specific attraction, exacerbated by the influence of alcohol and disregard for other social norms.
They may also have problems obtaining prescriptions or accessing various contraceptive methods at sea and practical experience using them.
Women
Now about 12 thousand women serve on the ships of the US Navy, but their number in the navy is constantly increasing.
There are about 52 women and about 000 men in the fleet.
The US Navy is now 19 percent female officers and 20 percent sailors.
This creates problems! The most unexpected.
Closed area on board an aircraft carrier
Currently, the Department of the Navy is distributing women on all aircraft carriers ... to premises in a "separate private restricted area."
There is a known case when one of the commanders instructed the personnel of an aircraft carrier:
“Dormitories for women will be closed to all men. Anyone who breaks this rule will be fined $ 20 the first time. "
He continued:
“Anyone who breaks this rule a second time will be fined $ 50.
If you are caught a third time, you will have to pay a $ 100 fine. Have questions?"
At this point, the senior sergeant of the Marine Corps asked:
"How much does the season pass cost?"
“Dormitories for women will be closed to all men. Anyone who breaks this rule will be fined $ 20 the first time. "
He continued:
“Anyone who breaks this rule a second time will be fined $ 50.
If you are caught a third time, you will have to pay a $ 100 fine. Have questions?"
At this point, the senior sergeant of the Marine Corps asked:
"How much does the season pass cost?"
Marines
Marine Corps recruits take martial arts lessons during basic training in Parris Island, South Carolina
A Pentagon poll found higher rates of sexual violence against women in the Marines than in other military forces.
Back in 2017, a scandal erupted involving 30 male Marines and veterans of the Marine Corps on a secret Facebook group, who, among other things, shared “naughty” images of identifying information of female Marines.
The service supported photo sharing through a closed Facebook group called Mike Uniform. Common files called "Girls of MU" - included over 3800 photographs and videos of women, including female military personnel, naked or engaged in sexual activity.
The women, primarily active and retired Marines, were understandably outraged.
US MP Young Fighter Course makes no exception for women
"Female Marines are the best of the best, but we are also treated as the worst of the worst."
- said Janelle Marina Mendes, a Marine Corps veteran and CEO of the Military Sexual Injury Movement.
"How can America trust the US Marines to protect our citizens when they can't even prevent workplace violence against female Marines?"
- said Janelle Marina Mendes, a Marine Corps veteran and CEO of the Military Sexual Injury Movement.
"How can America trust the US Marines to protect our citizens when they can't even prevent workplace violence against female Marines?"
In the submarine forces
In October 2009, the Secretary of the Navy announced that he and the Chief of Naval Operations were actively moving towards a policy change.
Reasons included the fact that larger submarines had more space and were able to accommodate female officers.
The existence of qualified female candidates wishing to work in this capacity was also mentioned. It was noted that women currently make up 15% of the navy.
The change in policy was believed to be in line with the aspirations of women, the mission of the navy, and the strength of its submarine forces.
In February 2010, the Secretary of Defense approved the proposed policy and signed letters formally notifying Congress of the proposed changes. Having received no objection, on April 29, 2010, the naval department officially announced that it had allowed women to serve aboard submarines.
The first group of American female submariners graduated from nuclear energy school and officially registered aboard two ballistic missile submarines and two guided missile submarines in November 2011.
Currently, more than 200 women officers and about 300 military sailors serve in the submarine fleet.
Driver assistant weapons 2nd Class Jalissa Thornton, Blue Crew Member, Ohio-Class Guided Missile Submarine, Michigan
In 2014, a dozen men were involved in a scandal involving the filming of female crew members in showers aboard the Wyoming SSBN at the Norfolk Naval Dockyard.
Recently, naval leaders fired Gregory R. Kercher, captain of the "golden crew" of Florida SSBNs, for what, according to the order, “he failed to properly respond to rumors of obscene lists circulating on a boat with sexually rated female members. crew ".
History issue.
The USS Florida nuclear submarine has been overseas for two years. But just before returning to the base, a scandal erupted instead of a holiday.
The Florida Submarine is the second US Navy submarine to have female sailors. The crew consisted of 173 members, 32 of whom were women.
Just a year after the previous sex scandal erupted on the submarine, the "list of rapes" compiled by male sailors on the boat surfaced, causing an outcry in the naval community and in American society at large.
In May 2019, the US Navy's website published the results of an investigation into the "USS Florida nuclear submarine scandal."
This 47-page legal document traces the entire incident from the earliest possible moment.
In 2018, shortly after the women sailors boarded the submarine, the men collected and printed the names of all 32 of their fellows and began building harassment with them, rating their performance "by the stars."
On board a Virginia-class submarine
But officials say the overall process of integrating women into the submarine has gone well, with about one in five members of the team being women.
What does this have to do with the shipbuilding plans?
It turns out - straight!
First problem
Submarine design changes.
Every submarine in the US Navy has been designed with height, reach, and strength in mind, from valve placement to screen slopes. This will change.
With women aboard submarines now, the defense contractor Electric boat, at the request of the fleet, develops the first submarines built specifically to accommodate female crew members.
Constructors and designers do the obvioussuch as adding more doors and latrines, creating separate sleeping and bathing areas for men and women and giving them more privacy.
But they also make more subtle modifications like they lower some of the overhead flaps and make them easier to turn, and they install steps in front of bunk beds and stacked washing machines.
The first PLA built with these new features USS New Jersey (SSN-796) of the Virginia class will go into service in 2021. The construction of its building was already completed in February 2021.
Pregnancy
The US Navy is facing the unexpected problem of soaring pregnancies.
Reliable data is only available for past years.
In 2016, 16 percent of women in the US Navy were decommissioned due to pregnancy.
"These are hundreds of women who have interrupted their military service, creating additional problems for their ships, military budget and combat readiness."
"These are hundreds of women who have interrupted their military service, creating additional problems for their ships, military budget and combat readiness."
In addition, the rise in the number of pregnant women calls into question the noble goals of gender mainstreaming proclaimed by former President Barack Obama.
Transferring one pregnant female specialist from ship to shore costs the US budget $ 30, according to Yude Eden, author of a book on women in the military. In terms of the fleet, this amount has grown by over 100 million per year.
"Apart from the cost, it creates gaps in the combat schedule, forcing other people to do their job."
At the same time, the Pentagon has not yet succeeded in planning the pregnancy of female sailors and preparing their replacement in advance.
In January 2015, 3335 women aboard US warships were pregnant. In August 2016, their number reached a record 3840. The Obama administration concealed the existence of the problem so as not to undermine the president's idea of "gender equality in the military."
Motivation
The commanders are also reluctant to talk about this, but they assume that many women are resorting to their gender advantage associated with pregnancy and motherhood to avoid military service.
At headquarters it is even more dangerous.
Dangerous areas.
The most dangerous place in Naples is the Headquarters of the 6th US Navy.
The Sixth Fleet Headquarters acts as a unified organization with the American Naval Forces headquarters in Europe. The Fleet Commander is also the Deputy Commander of the US Naval Forces in Europe (COMNAVEUR).
And the command of all this since March 2018 is Vice Admiral Lisa M. Franchetti, who, thanks to her service experience, knows and understands the women's issue in its naval aspects.
Faced with staggering levels of unplanned pregnancies, the Navy has launched a family planning awareness and information campaign.
The US Navy has expanded the number of contraceptive clinics to make contraception more affordable and convenient, and to reduce unwanted pregnancies.
One of the most recent opened at the US Navy Hospital in Naples, where military personnel and women and teenagers can receive a variety of contraceptives, including long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), and implants, without prior appointment or referral.
“This new clinic concept was designed to meet unmet patient needs in order to reduce barriers to care, expand access for our beneficiaries and ultimately improve the preparedness of our members and their families,”
Said Captain Cristina Morocco, midwife in Naples.
Said Captain Cristina Morocco, midwife in Naples.
Naples is the second contraceptive clinic in Europe after the clinic at the Rota naval base in Spain
In total, there are now about 25 such clinics run by the Navy, including the Marine Corps clinics.
Prevention
Hired by the Navy in 1999 to teach HIV prevention and treatment, Dr. Bob McDonald realized that sailors and Marines weren’t too interested in talking about sexual issues.
But at the same time, they really wanted to discuss an unplanned pregnancy.
So MacDonald, the civilian in charge of the Navy's health care activities, began collecting data on this topic. He found that the military's unwanted pregnancy rate was higher than he expected, given the medical care and access to contraception available to sailors.
This was a big problem. Unplanned pregnancy and childbirth disrupted the working life of Navy parents and limited their budgets, as well as worsened their health. The staff turnover on ships and in combat units increased, sailors were removed from ships as their pregnancy progressed. Such changes may have intensified as more opportunities have opened up for women.
MacDonald began developing a sex education / sexual health promotion plan called SHARP, or Sexual Health and Responsibility Program. Since 2004, under his leadership, it has become the most comprehensive program of its kind in the military.
With MacDonald's support, the Navy revised educational films to focus on the social consequences of an unplanned pregnancy and its possible career impact.
Seafarers began to be asked questions about sexual health through a web-based health risk assessment service. The Office of the Chief Surgeon of the Navy has incorporated sexual health criteria into its annual seafarers' health and wellness program.
With the support of the Navy's leadership, MacDonald has become an ardent advocate of free and easy access to all forms of contraception. He is particularly enthusiastic about long-acting reversible contraceptives, or LARCs, including a hormone-releasing implant that prevents pregnancy for up to two years.
LARC is 99 percent effective, outperforming 72 to 94 percent of methods such as pills and a vaginal ring (this is not an advertisement, but a quote).
But only about 15 percent of female sailors use LARC, so McDonald launched an ad campaign in collaboration with the Navy Medical Bureau.
MacDonald, using data from the Navy survey, found alarming trends.
He reported that two out of every three female sailors became pregnant while serving in the Navy. 36 percent said their pregnancy was planned, slightly less than women of the same age in the general population. Navy officers are doing better: 70% said they were planning a pregnancy.
Of particular concern to MacDonald were women between the ages of 21 and 25. About half of them had not taken any contraception before pregnancy. Most of these women stated that they did not use protective equipment because they did not plan to have sex. Other women said they didn’t want to use contraception or their partners didn’t want them to.
Combat readiness
The fleet is embarrassed by the persistent claims over the years that some women become pregnant only to avoid being sent to military service.
The sudden departure of pregnant women from warships seriously damages the combat readiness and morale of those who remain on board and must assume the responsibilities of the departed. Sailors expecting a baby should be removed from the ship from the 20th week of pregnancy.
The Navy officially considers pregnancy incompatible with military service, and women who became pregnant were previously automatically dismissed.
However, with the introduction of full contract manning in the army, the Navy was forced to introduce many lucrative incentives for men and women - including free housing, medical care, recreation and educational opportunities.
Nearly all women who become pregnant while serving in the Navy, whether intentionally or unintentionally, remain in the service before and after childbirth, according to Lieutenant Haley Sims, a public relations officer for the Navy.
In light of this, the Navy has recently developed a "family planning training program" that every sailor takes at boot camp. They learn about all forms of reliable contraception and are offered contraceptive choices. If they choose long-term contraception, they can go to the naval clinic before deployment.
Awareness month
This April marks the 20th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM). Launched in 2001, the month is held to raise awareness and help prevent sexual assault, harassment and abuse.
“Teams must never put up with sexual harassment, assault or retaliatory behavior. Victims need to trust the system and know they can report this behavior because the perpetrators are held accountable for their actions. ”
Sexual assault. Theory of the question
Sexual assault.
According to the explanation of the Ministry of Defense, the term “sexual violence” is defined as willful sexual contact characterized by the use of force, threats, intimidation or abuse of power, or when the victim does not or cannot consent.
This term encompasses a broad category of sexual offenses, consisting of the following specific crimes: rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact, abusive sexual contact, violent sodomy (coercion of oral or anal sex) or attempts to commit these acts.
These offenses are defined in Section 120, Section 120b, and Section 125 of the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Consent.
“Consent” is defined as words or explicit actions that indicate the competent person's voluntary consent to the sexual behavior in question.
Expressing disagreement with words or behavior means that there is no agreement. Lack of verbal or physical resistance or obedience as a result of the use of force, the threat of force or intimidation of another person does not constitute consent.
Existing or previous relationships, dating per se, clothing or behavior implicated in the sexual behavior in question with the accused do not constitute consent.
There is no consent if the person is asleep or disabled, for example due to alcohol or drugs or mental disability.
Theory of the question (according to the guiding American documents).
What is military sexual assault?
The main criminal offenses of sexual assault in the military are defined in the Unified Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), Title 47, Title 10, United States Code.
Since 2006, Congress has made significant changes to the articles of the UCMJ regarding these crimes. DOD's policy further defines sexual assault as intentional sexual contact characterized by the use of force, threats, intimidation or abuse of power, or when the victim does not agree or is unable to consent.
While some of the Department of Sexual Assault policies and programs may apply to US Department of Defense civilians and military dependents, the document focuses primarily on sexual assaults involving military personnel as alleged victims or perpetrators.
This includes active military personnel, cadets and warrant officers, as well as members of the reserve component who are involved in an incident during active service or inactive duty training.
How is sexual assault and sexual harassment defined in the military?
Sexual assault in the military and navy is defined in Defense Instruction 6495.02 as deliberate sexual intercourse characterized by the use of force, threats, intimidation or abuse of power, or when the victim does not or cannot consent. 16 The term used in these Guidelines includes a broad category of sexual offenses consisting of the following specific UCMJ offenses (Articles 120 and 125): rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact, violent sexual contact, violent sodomy or attempted violence these crimes (Article 80).
Section 120 UCMJ (10 USC §920 (b)) defines sexual assault punishable by a military court for a member of the armed forces who,
1. Performs sexual intercourse with another person, -
(A) threatening or making the other person fearful;
(B) causing bodily harm to that other person;
(C) inspires a fraudulent belief that intercourse serves a professional purpose; or
(D) instills in any fabrication, pretense or concealment of the belief that the person is another person;
2. Has intercourse with another person when he knows or reasonably should know that the other person is asleep, unconscious, or otherwise unaware that intercourse is taking place; or
3. Has intercourse with another person when the other person is unable to consent to intercourse due to:
(A) impairment of perception by any drug, intoxicant or other similar substance, and the condition is known or should be reasonably known to the person; or
(B) mental illness or defect or physical disability, and the condition is known or reasonably known to the person.
1. Performs sexual intercourse with another person, -
(A) threatening or making the other person fearful;
(B) causing bodily harm to that other person;
(C) inspires a fraudulent belief that intercourse serves a professional purpose; or
(D) instills in any fabrication, pretense or concealment of the belief that the person is another person;
2. Has intercourse with another person when he knows or reasonably should know that the other person is asleep, unconscious, or otherwise unaware that intercourse is taking place; or
3. Has intercourse with another person when the other person is unable to consent to intercourse due to:
(A) impairment of perception by any drug, intoxicant or other similar substance, and the condition is known or should be reasonably known to the person; or
(B) mental illness or defect or physical disability, and the condition is known or reasonably known to the person.
Sexual harassment in the military is defined in 10 USC §1561 and includes:
(A) unwanted sexual innuendo, requests for sexual favors, and intentional or repeated offensive comments or gestures of a sexual nature when:
(i) such behavior is accompanied, directly or indirectly, by hints of dependence on the conditions of work, pay or career;
(ii) the submission or rejection of such conduct by a person is used as the basis for career or employment decisions affecting that person; or
(iii) the conduct is intended or caused to unjustifiably interfere with a person's work or create an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment ...
(2) Any use or approval by any person in a leadership or command position of any form of sexual behavior to control, influence, or influence the career, pay, or performance of a military or civil servant of the Department of Defense.
(3) Any intentional or repeated objectionable oral comment or gesture of a sexual nature by any Defense Department military or civilian employee.
Domestic violence
30 years ago, Congress passed legislation requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop a comprehensive policy to prevent sexual assault involving military personnel and to begin reporting annually on statistics and indicators related to sexual assault in the military (in the next article, we will discuss the latest report from May this year) ...
Since 2004, Congress has passed more than 100 regulations designed to address various aspects of the problem under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Control and Support Bodies
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) is a science-based and comprehensive program for the US Navy and Marine Corps that aims to prevent and ultimately eradicate sexual assault in the Corps while providing world-class assistance to victims of violent crime.
The Department of the Navy's Office of Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment and Suicide Prevention and Response (DON SAPRO) provides expertise, policy, resources and oversight to prevent and effectively respond to sexual assault, military sexual harassment and suicide for the purpose establishing and maintaining a healthy culture in which every sailor, marine and civilian can thrive.
The office is subordinate to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Personnel and Reserves), who is also the “chief adviser” to the Minister of the Navy on all matters of sexual violence, sexual harassment of military personnel, and suicide prevention and response.
Ms Melissa E. Cohen, Director of the Department of the Navy for Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment and Suicide and Response
The Navy has an established support structure for victims of sexual assault so that they can report incidents and get the help they need.
Doubts of Congressmen
The potential threat of sexual violence against military personnel has been part of the debate over whether women should be allowed to serve in the military and perform certain combat functions.
This debate frequently referred to concerns that “women could be captured and potentially sexually abused by enemy forces”.
However, the threat of sexual violence comes not only from aggressive men, but, albeit much less often, from women themselves.
Conclusions
Most (male) Navy leaders believe that the policy of increasing the number of women on ships has ended in failure.
"It is bad policy to think that the ship should be on alert and then have to remove women from it because of their pregnancy - something needs to be done to control the behavior."
Melissa E. Cohen
Melissa E. Cohen
Lessons from the American Experience
Given the experience of employing women and LGBT people in the US navy, the challenges this creates should be borne in mind.
Let me explain with the most obvious example.
Thus, a harmless obscenity, which, as you know, is not used to swear at the Russian navy, but is spoken about, is interpreted as a form of sexual harassment (see 10 USC §156).
His exclusion from team practice reduces the intelligibility of the senior boss's instructions, which is unacceptable in our conditions.
And although the severity of the law can be compensated for by the non-binding nature of its implementation, for the commanders these concerns are clearly useless.
Information