The author, Frank A. Partlow, JR, is a colonel in the United States Army who wrote this scholarly article while working as a fellow at the Center for International Affairs from Harvard University. In this article, Partlow shows her thoughts regarding the importance of women within the military. Essentially, Partlow demonstrates these ideas in three main sections in his piece entitled Physical Capacity, Combat, and ties them together in the Conclusions section. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the Physical Capacity section, Partlow notes that the Army now takes into consideration both male and female physical strength and stamina, unlike in years past. He then goes on to note that an individual's cardiorespiratory fitness, or a person's ability to perform at peak efficiency for a period of time, is irrelevant to one's sexual orientation. Any individual in the United States military is expected to be able to perform the nature of the job assigned and states that women are physically more similar to men in this capacity. Finally, the Army's recent policy review on women's issues established "gender-free" testing for all recruits, so that they are not placed in a job they are not physically capable of performing. Much of Partlow's article includes the role of women in combat. He debunks the popular belief that women are not well equipped physically, emotionally and psychologically for combat roles by sharing evidence that has found they have a higher pain threshold, perform better under conditions of insomnia and, in the past, have better survived the POW incarnation. compared to men. All in all, both genders have the mental strength needed to thrive in a combat unit, but physical restrictions rightfully limit women to such positions. Partlow also shares her belief that integrated combat units will improve the effectiveness of the Army as a whole, taking into consideration the four major national security concerns involved in the issue of women in combat discussed in this article. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Finally, the Conclusions section of Partlow's article reiterates her view that women in the US military should be decided solely on the basis of national security and defense rather than social equality between both sexes. She believes that women should be treated with the same respect as their male comrades and that the Army should foster a “sincere and supportive belief from above in all its soldiers.” Additionally, in my article, I will use Partlow's views regarding female power to reinforce the validity of fair and unfair aspects of gender standards within the United States military. Her ideas offer a unique and scholarly perspective on the role of women and I plan to incorporate her studies, direct quotes and generalized points into my article.