By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/ash-carter-no-quotas-for-women-in-military-says-defense-secretary Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Ash Carter says ‘No quotas’ for women in military Nation Dec 3, 2015 4:30 PM EDT Defense Secretary Ash Carter told PBS NewsHour co-anchor Gwen Ifill on Thursday that he decided to let women serve in all aspects of the military because with an all-volunteer force, he needed to draw on the entire population. “We have an all-volunteer military, and in order to have as we have in the future what we have today, which is the finest fighting force the world has ever known, I need to be able to reach into the entirety of the American population,” he said. “So I want to recruit from all pools. READ MORE: Ash Carter calls homegrown terrorists ‘losers with a keyboard’ “Now that doesn’t mean that you get to do whatever you want if you’re a female, any more than you get to do what you want if you’re a male. There are standards, physical, mental, emotional, and so forth associated with each of our specialties.” He cited loading artillery as an example requiring “physical endurance and raw physical ability” as a specialty that would have more men. “Data shows very clearly that on average, women in that age cohort don’t have those physical abilities in as great a proportion as men do. “We’re focused here on mission effectiveness, protecting our country and protecting our people. That’s the principal reason to do this, and so we’re going to need to do it according to standards and no quotas.” Carter said he received recommendations from all branches of the military, and the then-Commandant of the Marine Corps Joseph Dunford, who is now chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered the only objection to women performing in some roles. “I came to a different conclusion,” he said. Watch their full interview that aired on Thursday’s broadcast. Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
Defense Secretary Ash Carter told PBS NewsHour co-anchor Gwen Ifill on Thursday that he decided to let women serve in all aspects of the military because with an all-volunteer force, he needed to draw on the entire population. “We have an all-volunteer military, and in order to have as we have in the future what we have today, which is the finest fighting force the world has ever known, I need to be able to reach into the entirety of the American population,” he said. “So I want to recruit from all pools. READ MORE: Ash Carter calls homegrown terrorists ‘losers with a keyboard’ “Now that doesn’t mean that you get to do whatever you want if you’re a female, any more than you get to do what you want if you’re a male. There are standards, physical, mental, emotional, and so forth associated with each of our specialties.” He cited loading artillery as an example requiring “physical endurance and raw physical ability” as a specialty that would have more men. “Data shows very clearly that on average, women in that age cohort don’t have those physical abilities in as great a proportion as men do. “We’re focused here on mission effectiveness, protecting our country and protecting our people. That’s the principal reason to do this, and so we’re going to need to do it according to standards and no quotas.” Carter said he received recommendations from all branches of the military, and the then-Commandant of the Marine Corps Joseph Dunford, who is now chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered the only objection to women performing in some roles. “I came to a different conclusion,” he said. Watch their full interview that aired on Thursday’s broadcast. Follow @NewsHourWorld We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now