In a giant state-of-the-art gym at the British army\u2019s Kendrew Barracks in the East Midlands, Amy responds immediately when asked about her favourite aspect of military training. \u201cPutting on my bergan and getting out there,\u201d she replies, referring to the heavy-duty, 25kg military rucksack all recruits must learn to carry. \u201cI really like putting myself in the hurt locker.\u201d<\/p>\n
During gruelling commando training the 24-year-old lines up against men often a foot taller, with 50% more upper body strength and 30% more muscle mass. It doesn\u2019t seem to bother her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re both there and we can both meet the requirements, it\u2019s not a competition because I\u2019m a woman, it\u2019s about who\u2019s the better soldier,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Her ability to be the best has been improved by the launch of a new blueprint for elite servicewomen in the British armed forces this week, with the military\u2019s top scientists aiming to unleash female personnel\u2019s \u201coestrogen advantage\u201d, increase recruitment and prevent injuries.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorically, physical performance research has been based on male data,\u201d says Dr Julie Greeves, the army\u2019s principal physiologist and one of the authors of the new guide. \u201cNow women in the military can feel that they\u2019ve been properly taken care of, based on evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Based on a decade-long \u00a320m study \u2013 which harvested data from 22,000 serving women \u2013 the guidance could have global implications, with researchers sharing findings with Nato allies about how to get the best out of female personnel through tailored training, nutrition, hormone tracking and kit. \u201cThe influence that we\u2019re having with our Nato counterparts is honestly mind blowing,\u201d says Greeves.<\/p>\n
It could also unlock potential in female recruits, she argues. \u201cThere\u2019s this whole evolutionary element [of female physiology] that I think we are really beginning to tap into,\u201d says Greeves. \u201cWe call it the oestrogen advantage in defence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Researchers have shared findings with Nato allies about how to get the best out of female personnel through tailored training, nutrition, hormone tracking and kit. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt\/Alamy<\/p>\n
She points to research which shows that, like in ultra running<\/a>, women\u2019s bodies\u2019 ability to draw energy from fat stores not muscle could aid performance during prolonged arduous patrols. Asked if this suggests global militaries have been missing a trick, she replies: \u201cYes, absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n Women currently make up about 12% of the British armed forces<\/a>. But if defence leaders are to combat a 15-year recruitment and retention crisis<\/a>, and get anywhere near a target of women forming 30% of recruits by 2030<\/a>, better support for women in the military is vital, says veterans and people minister Calvin Bailey.<\/p>\n \u201cWars are won by society,\u201d he says. \u201cOur military has to be representative because otherwise our society won\u2019t feel, understand and own it. I want to see society look at the military and see itself.\u201d<\/p>\n The new research found that with tailored training women make similar strength gains as men, but need more time to do so, as well as supplements to combat nutrient deficiencies, protein-heavy diets and extra sleep. Without it women are more at risk of stress fractures and disruption to menstrual cycles which should be viewed as the body\u2019s \u201cfifth vital sign\u201d.<\/p>\n There are questions to be asked about why women, who have been allowed in all combat roles since 2018<\/a>, are only now going to receive sex-specific training based on in-depth research into their bodies.<\/p>\n Women in the military are 50% more likely to get injured<\/a> than men. According to recent research from the University of Edinburgh<\/a> female recruits experience \u201chigh rates of fractures, menstrual disturbance and adverse psychological outcomes, conditions related to perturbations in metabolic and hormonal function\u201d.<\/p>\n One RAF recruit tells the Guardian she had received no sex-specific research when she joined and bought her own iron supplements. \u201cWe learned a bit about nutrition in the death by PowerPoint training period, but I used my own knowledge to make sure I was getting enough sleep and eating the right things \u2013 otherwise you just end up injured.\u201d<\/p>\n A landmark 2021 report<\/a> by former Conservative MP Sarah Atherton, then chair of the now dissolved subcommittee on women in the armed forces, found the military was \u201cstill a man\u2019s world\u201d<\/a> and servicewomen were being put in danger of life-threatening injuries, through a failure to get \u201cbasics like uniforms and equipment right\u201d. Servicewomen reported that armoured plates restricted their movement, oversized helmets hampered their vision and some were deliberately dehydrating themselves because there was nowhere for them to urinate.<\/p>\n