The Marine Corps has been embroiled in controversy since releasing the tentative results of a nine-month long study on integrating women into its infantry. Newly appointed Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, however, said the debate was moot because whether or not they serve in combat positions, women have still fought on the front lines.

“This has nothing to do about women in combat,” Neller said at Marine Base Quantico in Virginia. “I buried three women in Iraq in 2006 and they died alongside 311 men. To me its personally insulting to talk about women in combat. Women have been in combat.”

While the former Marine Commandant Gen. Dunford was pessimistic about the performance of female Marines, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and various Marines connected to the military study think the Marines are twisting its results to get an exemption barring women from various combat jobs. In the middle of this military in-fighting, Neller said the debate lost its focus.

“Gen. Dunford, when he was still commandant, made his recommendation on this issue to the Secretary of the Navy,” said Neller “And right now it is the policy of the Marine Corps that we’re not going to talk about what that recommendation was because we’re going to let the Secretary of Defense make his decision.”

“I’m not overly concerned about it,” said Neller, referring to the potential decision to allow women in combat. “We’ll get told what to do and we’ll execute the plan…it’s as simple as that.”