Taking fuchs' last comment to the next step, and also understanding some of the statistics I posted earlier, what is the minimally accepted threshold for knowledge, skills, or abilities to make someone an effective soldier (or airman, sailor, marine, etc)? By mythologizing military service, are we artificially placing that threshold too high, and therefore excluding segments of the population that would otherwise be fit for military service? Is the military just another profession with its own set of required skills and abilities, norms and functions?

Also - I'd be curious to know if there's data available about the average age of senior leaders over time. Time in grade/service requirements more or less make the military a gerontocracy by default. It is not a meritocracy where promotions and assignments are based strictly on abilities, achievements, and potential. It is dependent on your institutional age.

As for the historical participation of women in modern combat, I'd reference the experience of Soviet women during World War II. On the face it, there seems to be broad experiences (snipers, tankers, infantry, pilots and navigators, etc). Are there any works out there looking at this experience from a 'should women be in combat' perspective?