Army Considers Segregation of Training

Army Chief of Staff Denis J. Reimer in testimony before a Senate Armed Services Committee said that the Army should perhaps reconsider coed training. Reimer, who identifies himself as a strong supporter of coed training, said that the Army’s quality has improved since integrating women, but commented about coed training, “I think afterwards there’s probably a need for a more detailed look in this particular area.” He also commented that, while there is no excuse for sexual harassment, “It’s a high stress environment, Senator, and we put a lot of pressure on our drill sergeants, and everybody has their breaking point at a certain point.” Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) commented, “I have some fundamental concerns about throwing very young women in a position with a drill sergeantƒThat’s you know, [like] sitting there with a match near some gunpowder and expecting a spark not to fly every now and then and cause a problem.” These comments and others insinuate that some men cannot keep themselves from sexually harassing women and that this aberrant behavior should possibly take precedence over women’s equality.