Published May 1997 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Addressing Military Misconduct
The extent of the scandals that have been unearthed at many of our military facilities indicates to me that the time has arrived for a thorough review of gender-integrated training in the armed forces. This is a serious situation, involving very serious allegations with possible repercussions on our national security. As evidence of the depth of the problem, a 1995 survey found that 61 percent of the women in the Army reported incidents of unwanted sexual attention. Also, a hotline established by the Army last fall for women to report sexual harassment, misconduct, or abuse, received 7,000 calls in only a two-and-a-half-month period. As this evidence indicates, there is a serious problem associated with gender-integrated training. That is why, pending a much-needed review of the problem, I think that the practice of gender-integrated recruit training in the military services should be suspended. This is not just about sexual harassment among soldiers of equal rank. It is about that, but it is about much more. It is about the use of power and authority of sergeants and officers who are put in charge of the recruits and junior personnel for whom they are responsible to train and look after. It leads one to ask a fundamental question: are women actually safe in the U.S. military? The purpose of an army is to fight, and to win battles. If gender integration enhances the prospects of readiness and effectiveness in combat, then we should be all for it. But, if it reduces American effectiveness on the battlefield, should we be for gender integration purely on the general grounds of social equality? The scandals which we are seeing in the training commands must be taken as a danger sign that gender integration complicates the military's fighting capabilities. We need to review the kinds of gender-integrated training that will work, and the kinds that will not work. In the special world of military life, where the ultimate mission of fighting and winning wars is uniquely different from all other environments and roles in civilian life, the real objective is the national security of our nation and how best to maintain it with the most effective fighting force. May 28, 1997