
"Today, a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire" (The Invisible War).  Rape in the military has been an extremely problematic issue in the United States Armed Forces for far too long.   Ariana Klay, a Marine who served in Iraq, tells her story in The Invisible War, a film about the sad truth of rape in the military.  Ariana was a well-trained marine who did everything that was expected of her.  Unfortunately, "Ariana was raped by a senior officer and his friend while serving" (The Invisible War) in combat.  These two men also threatened her life.  Instead of doing anything to the men who did this to her, The United States Marine Corps discharged Ariana, taking away her job, her benefits, and her future, in hopes of repressing further issues.  This short narrative clearly portrays a serious issue in The United States that needs to be resolved, and it can be.   "The Department of Defense has a history of covering up sexual offense problems" (The Invisible War).  The way in which they cover up these incidents is by discharging these women, in an attempt to "clear the issue" (The Invisible War).  This suggests that the only solution is to ban women from holding positions involving their participation in combat roles.  This also suggests that women are the problem, not the men who are actually sexually assaulting these women. Women in the United States military should sue the head of the United States Department of Defense in order to be seeking further equality, protection, and safety against rape and sexual assault in the military.  

In order to solve the problem of rape in the military and unequal protection, the Department of Defense needs to be involved. The Department of Defense is responsible for the protection of this country and those who serve for it.  The women who have been involved in these unfortunate situations and those who are current members of the armed forces or veterans should all work together to sue Ash Carter, who is the head of the Department of Defense.  Ash Carter's job is to provide the military defenses that are needed to protect this country and those who live in it.  It is his job to protect all citizens of The United States, including women in the military.  By allowing rape to continue in the military, he is not doing his job nor is he fully carrying out his duties as the head of The Department of Defense.  These women who attempt to sue may face difficulties when doing this, as they have in the past.  Because "the military is still socially and politically a "masculine" institution, and the goals and norms of the military are primarily defined and controlled by men" (Kendrigan 2), females have had a difficult time trying to create further protection and equality for themselves when it comes to situations such as rape and sexual assault.  Unfortunately, "The "feminization" of the military has traditionally been seen as something of a problem" (Kendrigan 2).  This provides an explanation as to why some women are ignored or overlooked when they address the issue of rape.  If these women did sue Ash Carter, the issue of rape and unequal protection in the United States military would be addressed. 

Some people would disagree with the previous statements for several reasons.  For example, former marine Jude Eden believes that "sex is a natural part of life" (Eden 2) and no law will stop sexual relations in the armed forces.  She writes "whether it's a consensual relationship, unwanted advances, or sexual assault, all [relationships] destroy unit cohesion" (Eden 2).  Former marine Chad Russell also agrees that nothing can be done to permanently stop sexual assault in the military.  Just as it is on college campuses, consent in the military is difficult to clarify.  Russell believes that in order to somewhat stop rape, all sexual relations need to be stopped in the military, and this is a very unlikely occurrence.  He, on behalf of the men in his unit, states "we're young guys. We have a strong sexual drive and we are noticing the [women] and going out of our way to notice them" (Young 2). He discusses that women are a distraction and no matter what law is passed or what law is enforced, sex and relationships will always be a part of life. Even in the military, it is very difficult to prove what consensual sex is and what rape is.  These two veterans believe that the only way to prevent females from being raped in the military is to seize their overall involvement in combat, meaning that women should not be allowed to fight in combat whatsoever.  They believe that seizing female involvement in combat will also seize rape and sexual assault.  This may be true for sexual assault towards women, but if women were banned from fighting in combat, equality would be completely abolished.  Sexism would once again determine the outcome of who gets to fight for The United States of America.  

On the other hand are those who believe that women belong in combat and that these women need to be doing something to stop rape in the military.  If nothing is done on behalf of this issue, women in the United States armed forces will continue to get raped, and that clearly is a severe issue.  "Depression, posttraumatic stress, and work withdrawal are among a host of individual negative consequences associated with sexual harassment" (Buchanan 1).  These, as well as many other consequences, are all negative affects women have to live with after they have been raped.  The solution to the issue of rape in the military is to have the women sue The Department of Defense. If they successfully did this, women would no longer have to suffer with the ultimate conse  quences of being raped, such as those above named.  People including Ashley Nicolas agree with this claim.  In her piece What the Female Engagement Team Experience Can Teach Us About the Future of Women in Combat, Ashley Nicolas discusses the importance of having women in the military and how important it is to keep them safe.  She discusses that "the Army should continue to prepare for situations in which women will play a key role in engaging with the population, interfacing with leaders, and satisfying a tactical necessity" 6+(Nicolas 6).  She describes the very serious issue of female's safety in the war and the fact that if this problem of rape and sexual assault is not soon addressed and solved, there will be many more consequences.  

In addition to providing protection to women, suing Ash Carter would also provide equality for all women in combat.   As the fourteenth amendment states, "the sexes are human equals" (Mackinnon 1).  In the military, equality signifies that of respect, benefits, pay, ranking, and much more.  If women are equally capable of carrying out the same tasks men are, they deserve to be treated as the equals of men.  Because the military has for so long men predominantly run by males, female involvement may seem unusual.  Because females have not held high positions in the military for long, men are not used to these situations.  "Men in the military may be threatened by women" (Kuwali 4) because these women have the ability to take the men's jobs.  Some men use their masculinity by to prove that they are superior to women by raping them.  This is not fair to the women who have worked so hard to achieve the positions that they are in. The fourteenth amendment promises complete equality to both sexes, no matter the circumstance.  "The military does not get a free pass" (The Invisible War) when it comes to following the laws.  Sexual assault is against the law, and when men in the military do break this law, they degrade women, creating an inequality between the two sexes.  The fourteenth amendment needs to be reinforced in the United States Armed Forces, and if women do sue the head of The Department of Defense, this law will be fully and successfully carried out.  

The alternate solution to this would be, once again, banning the involvement of women in combat.  Some members of the armed forces see the issue of equality of the sexes to be problematic.  Gregory Newbold, for example, believes that true equality between the sexes will never be accomplished in the military due to the ability of men as opposed to the ability of women.  "Women desire equal pay, rank, and benefits as men, although they cannot perform to the same ability as men" (Newbold 2).  Of course, there are the exceptions. Just as there are women who cannot perform as well as men, there are men who cannot perform as well as women.  Women have proven that they can perform just as well as men and that they do anything that men can do when it comes to serving in the armed forces. This counteracts the argument that women cannot compete with men physically, suggesting that both men and women are beneficial to the United States Armed Forces.  If women were completely banned from combat, the fourteenth amendment would not be carried out successfully, due to the equal opportunity clause.  If the fourteenth amendment was not carried out successfully, this would broaden the affected audience, making the issue a nationwide issue rather than an issue that only mainly affects women in combat.  

The New York Times discusses the effects on equality that furthering women's protection would provide and how this is a beneficial step in the right direction.  "There will be no exceptions," Mr. Carter told reporters. "As long as they qualify and meet the standards, women will now be able to contribute to our mission in ways they could not before" (The Editorial 1).  Ash Carter, the head of The Department of Defense, quoted this and proved people who believe women are given unfair treatment in the military, such as Eden and Newbold, wrong.  Women can and will qualify for all that men will, if they can prove to have equal ability as men.  They do not receive special treatment, nor "will physical standards be lowered for them" (The Editorial 2).   When it comes to rape, however, women eventually are discharged after they raped, take Ariana Klay, for example.  When these women are discharged, they lose all of their benefits, their job, and their future.  These women have worked long and hard to be in the position that they are in and all of that hard work can be taken away in an instant all because of "how they dressed" (Cheney 3) or how they act.  One author, Ann Cheney, suggested ways in which women can be seen as "less of a rape target" (Cheney 4).  She believes that women need to be acting in a way that prevents sexual behavior, rather than provokes it.  These women are being penalized for being the victim in a crime and that is not fair.  This is where true equality needs to pay a role. America needs to address the issue, and that issue is the men who are raping these innocent women.  The military's "pre-eminent jobs have been reserved for men. And in recent decades, even as women have been allowed to serve more closely with men and in more types of jobs in the armed forces, many have felt unfairly relegated to second-tier status" (The Editorial 1).  This is not true equality.  These men take away so much from the women they rape, and sometimes they are not even aware of the damage they are causing.  A woman is not to be blamed for being the victim in a rape crime, and that is exactly what the military is doing. Women need to stop accepting these consequences and need to stop being penalized for crimes that are not their fault.  If women did sue Ash Carter for further equality and protection, they would finally get the respect and treatment that they deserve, finally creating true equality in The United States Armed Forces.  

This predominant issue in today's American society needs to be addressed.  Of course, addressing the issue of rape in the United States Armed Forces does come with risks.  These include risking women's jobs and positions in the military as well as publicly shaming the United States Armed Forces.  The women who do sue may be discharged, because, like before, they are causing difficulties or trouble in the military.  The unfortunate truth that was brought to light in the movie The Invisible War is the fact that women are sometimes penalized in the military for being raped.  Men take advantage of these services women's bodies and somehow, the military turns the situation around and acts as though it is the women's fault who got raped.  This risk of suing the head of The Department of Defense for further protection and equality is worth it, however.  Even if the women do not speak up, they are at a high risk of getting raped.  If these women do get raped, they will also be at a high risk of getting discharged just for being the rape victim.  Either way, these women are at a high risk of losing their jobs, just because of the gender they identify with.  The other primary risk these women would face when attempting to sue Ash Carter would be putting shame on The United States Armed Forces.  This organization is used for "civilian protection that recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of every human being" (Kuwali 2).  The armed forces has and will continue to protect the rights of every American as well as protect America as a whole.  Of course America is extremely fortunate to have such a strong organization protecting her, but this organization is not perfectly structured.  There are flaws within the system.  Nothing, not even the protection of 318.9 million people, can justify rape for any person.  The risk of shaming the United States Armed Forces and bringing light to the issue of rape is necessary.  The truth is evident and unmistakable.  Rape is a problem in the military, and it needs to be addressed, even if that means risking jobs and reputations of servicemen and women.  If suing the head of The Department of Defense is successfully carried out and women are provided equality and further protection in the armed forces, much needed changes will finally be made to the United States Armed Forces.  If this does happen, it will "make the military stronger and will narrow America's gender equality gap" (The Editorial 1), something that has been long overdue for a while.  

