More than 155,000 female troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. And more than seventy of those women have died. While that's a small fraction of all American casualties, those deaths exceed the number of military women who died in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War combined. Clearly, women in combat aren't a theoretical issue anymore. Women now fly combat aircraft and serve on warships. Even the remaining all-male corners of the military are blurring the lines in Iraq. And for many advocates, this trend is considered progress-toward a better, "gender neutral" military. "Co-ed Combat" makes the opposite case, based on research in anthropology, biology, history, psychology, sociology, and law, as well as military memoirs. It asks hard questions that challenge the assumptions of feminists. For instance: has warfare really changed so much as to reverse the almost unanimous history of all-male armed forces?; are men and women really equivalent in combat skills, even leaving aside physical strength?; do female troops respond to traditional types of motivations?; can the bonds of unit cohesion form in a co-ed military unit?; can an all-volunteer military afford to reject women? This is a controversial book, likely to draw a passionate response from both conservatives and liberals.

Introduction --Part I. -- Sex differences and their origins. -- Physical sex differences in size, strength, and speed: separating fact from myth -- Sex differences in mind: separating fact from myth again -- How did sex differences come about?: pure socialization, or do hormones play a role? -- Evolutionary origins of sex differences: the "why" question -- Part II. -- Modern warfare. -- The nature of modern warfare -- The "special case" of aviation -- Part III. -- The manliness of war. -- War as a traditionally masculine pursuit -- What men fear -- Why men love war -- Part IV. -- Men and women in groups. -- The bond of brothers: all for one and one for all -- Who men follow: leadership and followership in combat -- The evolved nature of male bonding: is men's aversion to female comrades in arms intractable?-- Part V. -- Threats to cohesion and effectiveness arising from mixing the sexes. -- Who men protect: women and children first -- Sexual relationships and attraction -- Double standards and political correctness-- Part VI. -- Special problems resulting from female personnel. -- Rape of female prisoners of war -- Reproductive issues: pregnancy, motherhood, and hygiene -- Part VII. -- Manpower issues. -- Recruiting, retention, and conscription: is a fully integrated military attractive to either men or women? -- Should the sexes be separated?: sex-segregated training and operational units -- Why comparisons to some other forms of discrimination are unpersuasive -- Conclusion. 1. Introduction -- pt. I. Sex differences and their origins -- 2. Physical sex differences in size, strength, and speed : separating fact from myth -- 3. Sex differences in mind : separating fact from myth again -- 4. How did sex differences come about? : pure socialization, or do hormones play a role? -- 5. Evolutionary origins of sex differences : the "why" question -- pt. II. Modern warfare -- 6. The nature of modern warfare -- 7. The "special case" of aviation -- pt. III. The manliness of war -- 8. War as a traditionally masculine pursuit -- 9. What men fear -- 10. Why men love war -- pt. IV. Men and women in groups -- 11. The bond of brothers : all for one and one for all -- 12. Who men follow : leadership and followership in combat -- 13. The evolved nature of male bonding : is men's aversion to female comrades in arms intractable? -- pt. V. Threats to cohesion and effectiveness arising from mixing the sexes -- 14. Who men protect : women and children first -- 15. Sexual relationships and attraction -- 16. Double standards and political correctness -- pt. VI. Special problems resulting from female personnel -- 17. Rape of female prisoners of war -- 18. Reproductive issues : pregnancy, motherhood, and hygiene -- pt. VII. Manpower issues -- 19. Recruiting, retention, and conscription : is a fully integrated military attractive to either men or women? -- 20. Should the sexes be separated? : sex-segregated training and operational units -- 21. Why comparisons to some other forms of discrimination are unpersuasive -- 22. Conclusion.