Top military leaders have made clear that today’s U.S. military couldn’t exist without women, who make up about 14% of the force.
During October, the Pentagon’s Military Health System (MHS) has been highlighting information related to female warriors’ health. The Army even has A Guide to Female Soldier Readiness.
The MHS recently noted that the Pentagon’s Human Performance Resource Center has tips on “reducing menstrual symptoms and suppressing the monthly cycle.”
The Human Performance Resource Center’s webpage on the topic gives what it calls its “BLUF” — bottom line, up front — concisely: “Women can successfully suppress menstruation over a period a time by using certain contraceptives continuously.”
What’s the militarily utility of that? “Many women, particularly deployed military women, want to eliminate menstruation because it can be inconvenient and even burdensome in austere environments,” the Web page notes. “Because many more women are being deployed to combat zones and perform many of the same tasks that men do, informing women in the military of successful ways to suppress menstruation is becoming increasingly important.”
Today’s military: making men out of women.