Dear    , 

Thank you for supporting the work of the Center for Military Readiness during 2013.  Our 20th Anniversary year has been very busy, but before it is history I would like to make a few year-end predictions, and make you an offer that I hope you will find irresistible.

Over the past five years, the Obama Administration has been swinging a slow-motion wrecking ball at our military.  And he's not done yet.  What will we see in 2014?

1. Reality Intrudes: "Gender Diversity" in the Infantry Will Not Work

The administration's campaign to order military women into the infantry just hit a major obstacle. It's called "reality."  The U.S. Marine Corps has found it necessary to quietly "postpone" (indefinitely) their plan to toughen training requirements to prepare female trainees for future combat arms assignments.

After January 1, women were supposed to perform three "pull-ups" in the revised Physical Fitness Test (PFT).  But according to recent reports, only 55% of female recruits, compared to 99% of the men, were able to meet that standard, which is just above a failing grade for men.

As the Center for Military Readiness explained in a formal statement to the House Armed Services Committee last July, feminists and advocates for "gender diversity metrics" (read, quotas), have no evidence to support the idea that female military personnel can be trained to be physical equals of men in the infantry.

Contrary to claims that training will be "the same" or "gender-neutral," the PFT and Combat Fitness Tests (CFT) have different requirements and scoring systems for men and women. All of this is explained in our recent CMR Policy Analysis, titled Double-Think and Dissembling About Double Standards.  Now what?

Prediction: It is likely that Congress will conduct long-overdue open hearings to hear from experts on this subject prior to implementation of plans to force "significant cadres" of women into the combat arms by January 2016.  To maintain high standards in the all-male combat arms, Congress must intervene.  CMR has proposed a well-received plan we call "Sound Policy for Women in the Military."

CMR needs your support to continue providing the leadership that only we can provide in advocating Sound Policy for Women (and Men) in the Military.  Will you help?

2. Close Combat Exposure Doubles Female Sexual Assaults in the Military

According to AP, reports of sexual assaults increased by 46% in the past fiscal year.  The Pentagon- sponsored survey data, which reflects the consequences of failed social experiments, is consistent with a previous Defense Department report analyzed by CMR.  Between 2004 and 2012, numbers of completed cases of sexual assault among military personnel escalated from 1,275 to 2,949, an increase of 129%.

And now there is a new twist to this story.  A recent DoD-sponsored study found that sexual assaults were twice as high among women who were exposed to combat situations.  These did not include the direct ground combat infantry assignments that women are supposed to enter on an involuntary basis in January 2016. No wonder the DoD tried to sweep this study under the rug! 

The just-signed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2014 includes thirty measures dealing with sexual assaults, but nothing to prevent extension of these problems into the combat arms.

Prediction:  This is a sleeper issue that CMR will bring to the attention of Congress in 2014, reaching out to members who are concerned about violence against women in the military. This will take time, but CMR intends to press Congress to consider the full implications of controversial policies that will make the problem worse.

CMR has analyzed sexual misconduct problems in a formal statement for the House Armed Services Committee and in a policy analysis titled Cultural Confusion in the New Gender Order. Will you help us to advocate for sound, realistic policies that will help to reduce both reports and numbers of sexual assaults the military?

3. Military Religious Liberty: The Fight Is Just Beginning

In 2012 CMR took a leadership role in a successful effort to protect constitutional rights of religious liberty for chaplains and people of faith in all branches of the service.  As a result, the National Defense Authorization Act for 2013 includes a military religious freedom clause that reaffirms the rights of chaplains and military personnel to express their sincerely-held beliefs about personal morality. 

During 2013, CMR supported a renewed effort to expand protections for religious liberty, endorsing a full-page Military Times advertisement that was sponsored by the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition.  We were pleased that these combined efforts led to the signing of new legislation to protect religious liberty in the defense bill for 2014.

Prediction:  Despite the intent of Congress inscribed in law, the administration will persist in their constant efforts to redefine or circumvent religious liberty clauses in the defense authorization bills.

CMR will continue to work with other groups in strategizing, pushing back, and pressing the fight. We need your help to maintain constant vigilance, and to work with legal experts and chaplain advocates on behalf of sound strategies to protect religious freedom for all personnel in our armed forces. 

As you can see, we have a lot of hard work ahead of us.

I would be very grateful if you send your tax-deductible contribution  by clicking on the secure contribution page behind the box posted above.

You can also download a hard-copy print donor form for sending your contribution in the mail to our address: CMR, P.O. Box 51600, Livonia, MI 48151.

Your generous gift would be a perfect way to help celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Center for Military Readiness.  And here's the special offer I mentioned.

Contributors of $100 or more will receive a copy of an insightful book by Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis (Ret.), titled Deadly Consequences: How Cowards Are Pushing Women Into Combat.

In his book Col. Maginnis acknowledges the important contributions of women defending America, while demolishing every argument "supporting" women in ground combat. Maginnis does so with fearless clarity, and does not hesitate to blame politically-correct, acquiescent Pentagon leaders who have let down both women and men in the military.  

Will you help CMR to stay on the job?  Our funds are very low right now and our budget is a fraction of resources available to opposing groups.  CMR is known for doing more with less, and your investment will go a long way.

Thank you for reading this.  I hope you will consider sending a generous contribution that will help the Center for Military Readiness to be there when our predictions prove true. 

Best wishes for a successful and Happy New Year!

Elaine

PS: Please keep in mind that CMR is the only organization that persistently spotlights flawed military/social policies in all branches of the military.  We are proud to support the troops in this way, but we need your help.  I hope I can count on you to send a generous year-end contribution to CMR today − perhaps taking advantage of our offer to thank you for a contribution of $100 or more by sending a copy of Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis' terrific new book, Deadly Consequences: How Cowards Are Pushing Women Into Combat.