Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

A few words about yesterday’s column arguing against women in infantry

Most of you know that I don’t always agree with the guest columns I run here. In fact, many of them are the result of people writing to me in disagreement, and my responding by asking them to write that up for publication.

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screen-shot-2015-09-08-at-10-20-50-am

Most of you know that I don’t always agree with the guest columns I run here. In fact, many of them are the result of people writing to me in disagreement, and my responding by asking them to write that up for publication.

Most of you know that I don’t always agree with the guest columns I run here. In fact, many of them are the result of people writing to me in disagreement, and my responding by asking them to write that up for publication.

Yesterday’s column by retired Col. Keith Nightingale is particularly sharp case in point. I asked him to write it because I’ve gotten complaints from a few people — one in particular — that I have run too many columns supporting gender integration in ground combat arms, and too few making the opposing case. So I asked Colonel Nightingale to make the argument. And he did.

Fwiw, I agree more with Barno & Bensahel. But I think it is important to air out this issue as much as possible, and not suppress views that disagree with mine. I learned a long time ago, well before kindergarten, that I am not always right.

OK, now I will await incoming from Lauren Katzenberg.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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