Commentary—The Webb Controversy: What’s Right?

The  2017 article publisehd in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings comments on James Webb's article "Women Can't Fight" published in the November 1979 issue of the journal Washingtonian,  the debate it created, and its long-term aftermath.  The author argues that the misogynistic statements Webb made are indefensible and his article came at the absolute worst possible time for the  women of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1980. The article and arguments within it were weaponized and used against the integration of women in the military, especially combat positions, thoughout the following decades, and some of the beliefs espoused in it are still held by a small minority of men within the military.