Women soldiers now allowed to fight on the front lines

[Dainty Jainty]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2535954.html




WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said Wednesday.


The changes, set to be announced Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, will not happen overnight. The services must now develop plans for allowing women to seek the combat positions, a senior military official said. Some jobs may open as soon as this year, while assessments for others, such as special operations forces, including Navy SEALS and the Army's Delta Force, may take longer. The services also will have until January 2016 to make a case to that some positions should remain closed to women.


The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units.


Officials briefed The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so they could speak ahead of the official announcement.


There long has been opposition to putting women in combat, based on questions of whether they have the necessary strength and stamina for certain jobs, or whether their presence might hurt unit cohesion.


But as news of Panetta's expected order got out, members of Congress, including the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., announced their support.


"It reflects the reality of 21st century military operations," Levin said.


Panetta's move comes in his final weeks as Pentagon chief and just days after President Barack Obama's inaugural speech in which he spoke passionately about equal rights for all. The new order expands the department's action of nearly a year ago to open about 14,500 combat positions to women, nearly all of them in the Army. Panetta's decision could open more than 230,000 jobs, many in Army and Marine infantry units, to women.


In addition to questions of strength and performance, there also have been suggestions that the American public would not tolerate large numbers of women being killed in war.


Under the 1994 Pentagon policy, women were prohibited from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level. A brigade is roughly 3,500 troops split into several battalions of about 800 soldiers each. Historically, brigades were based farther from the front lines and they often included top command and support staff.


The necessities of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, however, propelled women into jobs as medics, military police and intelligence officers that were sometimes attached – but not formally assigned – to battalions. So while a woman couldn't be assigned as an infantryman in a battalion going out on patrol, she could fly the helicopter supporting the unit, or move in to provide medical aid if troops were injured.


And these conflicts, where battlefield lines are blurred and insurgents can lurk around every corner, have made it almost impossible to keep women clear of combat.


Still, as recent surveys and experiences have shown, it will not be an easy transition. When the Marine Corps sought women to go through its tough infantry course last year, two volunteered and both failed to complete the course. And there may not be a wide clamoring from women for the more intense, dangerous and difficult jobs – including some infantry and commando positions.


In the Navy, however, women have begun moving into the submarine force, with several officers already beginning to serve.


Two lawsuits were filed last year challenging the Pentagon's ban on women serving in combat, adding pressure on officials to overturn the policy. And the military services have been studying the issue and surveying their forces to determine how it may affect performance and morale.


The Joint Chiefs have been meeting regularly on the matter and they unanimously agreed to send the recommendation to Panetta earlier this month.


A senior military official familiar with the discussions said the chiefs concluded this was an opportunity to maximize women's service in the military. The official said the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps laid out three main principles to guide them as they move through the process:


_ That they were obligated to maintain America's effective fighting force.


_ That they would set up a process that would give all service members, men and women alike, the best chance to succeed.


_That they would preserve military readiness.


Part of the process, the official said, would allow time to get female service members in leadership and officer positions in some of the more difficult job classifications in order to help pave the way for female enlisted troops.


Women comprise about 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel. More than 280,000 women have been sent to Iraq, Afghanistan or to jobs in neighboring nations in support of the wars. Of the more than 6,600 who have been killed, 152 have been women.


The senior military official said the military chiefs must report back to Panetta with their initial implementation plans by May 15.


Changing the rules for a potential future draft would be a difficult proposition. The Supreme Court has ruled that because the Selective Service Act is aimed at creating a list of men who could be drafted for combat – and women are not in combat jobs – American women aren't required to register upon turning 18 as all males are.


If combat jobs open to women, Congress would have to decide what to do about that law.

[Ridic Too]

Terrible terrible terrible decision.

I can't say it enough. This is an awful move.

[Dirty South]

Terrible terrible terrible decision.

I can't say it enough. This is an awful move.

This will cost the lives of not only women soldiers, but men who will be forced to having less able soldiers watching their backs.

I'm sorry, but the front lines of war are not a place for women. The other side won't be using women, I guarantee you.

[racerx]

Terrible terrible terrible decision.

I can't say it enough. This is an awful move.

if they can do the job just as good, why not.

i know i can't do it, so i'm glad they will

[Dainty Jainty]

I'm actually against it myself for women who either plan on having children or already have children.

I'm a woman and come from a military family. But women fighting on the front lines? No fucking way.

[Satori Brah]

not my problem

[Lemmy]

They should be vacuuming the tents and making dinner.

[racerx]

This will cost the lives of not only women soldiers, but men who will be forced to having less able soldiers watching their backs.

I'm sorry, but the front lines of war are not a place for women. The other side won't be using women, I guarantee you.

the same can be said of having a less able male watching their backs.

[SIPAWITZ]

first women to graduate BUDS will be something to behold

[Dainty Jainty]

This will cost the lives of not only women soldiers, but men who will be forced to having less able soldiers watching their backs.

I'm sorry, but the front lines of war are not a place for women. The other side won't be using women, I guarantee you.

That I disagree with. Women are fine, able soldiers. I just don't believe they should be in combat.

If we were to enter World War III and have nearly half our female soldiers killed in combat, we will have a serious problem population-wise in this country. Yes, there are too many people on the planet but if we lost that generation of females, we're kind of fucked.

[Satori Brah]

Are they going to lower the physical and mental toughness aspects of just getting in to
SEALs, Delta Force, and Recon?

How about being an Marine Infantry officer? Do you know how fuckin hard it is to get that MOS?

[Bro]

[AmishGirl]

Uh - if women wern't in combat already, what were they doing in the Military? I'm sorry but I don't get any of this ....

[Avery]

Do these camos make my ass look fat?

[2Manboobs]

Putting the rest of the troops in danger in the name of political correctness..Next will be wheelchair bound infantrymen... Yep, the circular motion of the flushing of America is gaining speed ...

[Gitfiddle]

first women to graduate BUDS will be something to behold

Yeah, if they predictably lower the standards. Otherwise, seeing my first unicorn will be something to behold.

[Lemmy]

the same can be said of having a less able male watching their backs.

It's not combat and I'm not saying it is but things can get pretty tense and hectic at work at times (ghetto police) and there are plenty of dudes that I work with that I don't want anywhere near me and that I certainly don't trust to watch my my back. I've had several female partners over about half of my "career" and have trusted them with my life numerous times and would again. That being said just the lack of brute strength is/was a factor for them on occasion and I would think that in combat it would be more of an issue.

[Gitfiddle]

Isn't she just an adorable trained killer? I could just pinch her deadly cheeks.

[SIPAWITZ]

Are they going to lower the physical and mental toughness aspects of just getting in to
SEALs, Delta Force, and Recon?

How about being an Marine Infantry officer? Do you know how fuckin hard it is to get that MOS?

the marines opened up their elite SOCOM unit to 2 women last year....16 weeks course

they both flunked out

[Gitfiddle]

the marines opened up their elite SOCOM unit to 2 women last year....16 weeks course

they both flunked out

Give it time for the lawsuits and subsequent lowering of the physical standards.