This edition of CMR E-Notes highlights three major reasons why President Donald Trump should nominate a new Secretary of Defense who will review, revise, and revoke social experiments such as co-ed basic training and women in the infantry.

• The first article below analyzes General Robert Neller's recent decision to “temporarily” gender-integrate the Marine Corps boot camp for enlisted recruits at Parris Island, SC. CMR has examined the issue from the perspective of history over 25 years, including scandals in basic training that preceded Abu Ghraib.

• This edition also summarizes a comprehensive Statement that CMR President Elaine Donnelly presented before the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, opposing any move to "Draft America's Daughters."

• In addition, we are providing Update #4 on the progress of ongoing litigation against President Trump, which LGBT lawyers have used to block implementation of Trump's new policy regarding transgenders in the military.

The New Year began with good news when the Washington, D.C., Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the administration in one of four military transgender cases that the Administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up in the current term.  At the same time, CMR's legal team continues to fight intrusive subpoenas from LGBT lawyers trying to prove a ridiculous conspiracy theory about President Trump's motives in changing military transgender policies.

CMR's message is clear: President Trump should nominate a new Secretary of Defense and Commandant of the Marine Corps who will take a long, objective look at 25 years of harmful social experiments in the military and put an end to policies that harm readiness.

1.  General Robert Neller Lets Down the Marines

Marine Commandant General Robert Neller recently announced a major incremental step toward co-ed boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) at Parris Island, SC.  This inexplicable action reverses General Neller's outraged opposition when then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus ordered him to gender-integrate the same boot camp within 14 days.

This article also  provides more information on ways that standards have been adjusted to encourage "success" for women in direct ground combat (infantry) units -- fighting teams that seek out and attack the enemy with deliberate offensive action.

• CMR: Marine Commandant Caves on Co-Ed Basic Training

The article confirms predictions that standards in combat arms training, including the storied Infantry Officer Course (IOC) at Quantico, VA, would be incrementally "adjusted" to levels that are "gender-neutral" but lower than before.

During the Bill Clinton Administration, a high-level Pentagon official named Sara Lister imposed co-ed basic training on the Army.  Despite political pressure, the Marines retained their unique gender-separate boot camp program, which several studies have found to be superior.  Twenty-three years later, the current Commandant, General Neller, has suddenly reversed his own previous position and announced an incremental step toward gender-integration in boot camp.

The controversy surrounding co-ed basic training draws attention to even larger questions being raised about women in the infantry.  Without principled intervention toon, there will be no going back.

2.  CMR Addresses National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service

On November 15, 2018, CMR President Elaine Donnelly met for an hour with members of the national commission that then-Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain authorized in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2018.

McCain supported legislation mandating Selective Service registration for young women, and was a staunch advocate of mandatory national service. The November 15 meeting was a cordial and productive discussion, even though CMR strongly opposes mandatory national service and "Draft Our Daughters" legislation that would register young women for Selective Service on the same basis as men:

• CMR: Donnelly Advocates for the "Home of the Brave and the Land of the Free"

The full text of Donnelly's statement is here:

• Statement for the Record - National Commission on Military, National, & Public Service, November. 15, 2018

3.  Trump DoJ Wins Round in Fight Against Activist Judges -- Asks Supreme Court to Intervene in Military Transgender Lawsuits

A recent victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is an encouraging sign that the Trump transgender policy could pass constitutional muster when it arrives before the U.S. Supreme Court:

• CMR: Trump Administration Wins Appeals Court Ruling on Military Transgender Policy

The article above provides latest details on the Court of Appeals decision, appeals pending before the Supreme Court, and Litigation Update #4 on attempts by LGBT lawyers to drag CMR into their lawsuits against President Trump.

4.  Recent Articles on Military/Social Issues of Concern to CMR

The following articles, from various sources, cover recent developments and leading opinions on military/social issues:

• Heather MacDonald, Wall Street Journal, Women Don't Belong in Combat Units
• Popular Mechanics: The Overloaded Infantry Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More Weight Than Ever
• Secure Freedom Radio: Elaine Donnelly interview with Frank Gaffney, Center for Security Policy
• Conservative HQ: Marines Hoist White Flag to Social Justice Warriors
• Army Times: Enlisted Women More Likely to Suffer Adverse Mental Health Effects After Combat Injury: Study
• NYT: One of the First Women Infantry Marines Will Be Discharged from the Marines
• Shawn Snow, Marine Corps Times: Where are the Female Marines?
• Smithsonian Magazine: New Poll of U.S. Troops and Veterans Reveals Their Thoughts on Current Military Policies
• FRC: Military at Ease with Trump Policy
• Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times: False Sex Assault Reports Not as Rare as Claimed, Studies Show
• CMR Summary: DoD SAPRO Annual Reports Show Significant Increases in Military Sexual Assault Accusations Deemed "Unfounded"
• Jesse Kelly, The Federalist: Why the Trump Administration Needs to Keep Women Out of Combat

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