Military to allow women in combat

[acommondisaster]

Originally Posted by JoeRider

Women already serve several countries in combat roles, notably in Israel and Canada. In 2010, Britain decided it would not change rules excluding women from infantry and combat teams. Officials say demand from women for jobs in the military alliance NATO remain very low.

Women in combat roles to become US norm | News | DW.DE | 24.01.2013

Misconception - women TRAIN for combat roles in Israel, but do not participate in front line combat. Women in idf

And name one battle that included Canadian women in the infantry. It hasnt happened and they've abandoned the possibility in all but theoretical terms.

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by mAlice

I'm of the opinion that women should not be on the front lines. It's not like you can call in when you're menstrual. dumb ####s.

I am of the same opinion. I've been waiting to post in this thread because I didn't have time yesterday, and I also wanted to be able to formulate a thoughtful reply.

It doesn't have anything to do with how smart or physically strong women are or can be. I am not sure it really comes down to that, although there are certainly arguments to be made on both sides for those reasons. It just seems wrong to me, and I feel the same way about women on ships.

I just don't think it's something that should be.

[Bann (Premo)]

Originally Posted by mAlice

more than this. What's a woman supposed to do when she needs to deal with her feminine hygiene issue, dive behind a tree and remove 90 lbs+ of war gear? Good luck with that ####, especially in the desert.

I don't know about your other points, but I just can't see myself handling the feminine necessities while having a shoot out the desert palms social club.

Yeah, isn't that the truth?

[BOP]

Originally Posted by David

CARDIN APPLAUDS MOVE TO OPEN COMBAT JOBS TO WOMEN

U.S. Military Fully Embraces Equal Opportunity for Women

Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) praised Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta for overturning provisions that kept women from serving in front-line combat positions.

"Yet another glass ceiling is about to be shattered. I applaud Secretary Panetta's actions that will open up thousands of front-line combat positions to America's brave military women, giving them an equal opportunity to serve their nation, earn promotions and move up through the ranks as their male counterparts. America's military is the greatest in the world and it has been made stronger today with the promise of equal opportunity for women and men.

"Every day, we honor the service of our men and women who volunteer to protect our nation. Maryland is home to nearly 30,000 Active, 16,000 Reserve and hundreds of thousands of veteran Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. These Marylanders have our utmost respect and appreciation."

If the demon-rats are for it, I'm against it.

[BOP]

Originally Posted by David

Hoyer Statement on Defense Department
Lifting Ban on Women in Combat

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the military will be lifting its ban on women serving in combat roles:

“I’m pleased by Secretary Panetta's announcement, in conjunction with the Joint Chiefs' decision, that women will be allowed to serve in combat roles. This is a long awaited change in policy, and reflects the fact that women have courageously served in our armed forces for years. As I said when the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was repealed, our military is made stronger when it welcomes the service of all brave Americans willing to fight for their country. This is another step toward a fully inclusive military, and our nation will be better for it.”

If the demon-rats are for it, I'm against it.

[PsyOps (Premo)]

I just want to know if Panetta is doing this to strengthen our military?

[acommondisaster]

I'm not in the military, but I am retired Navy. I joined knowing that women were not allowed shipboard, so it never was an issue with me. When women were finally allowed shipboard, my rate was only onboard combatants, so it was still a moot point.

I was always aware that I had physical limitations - that I didn't have the upper body strength of my male counterparts, that they could (generally run faster, carry more, etc.) I like being a female and never have felt the need to "compete", nor have I felt less than equal to a man. I know that as a woman, my strengths lie in that I am generally more detail oriented and better able to multitask than the average guy - and I was able to put that to good use during my career in the Navy (cryptology). I never felt limited, I guess because I think I'm aware of my weaknesses as well as my strengths, and never got frustrated by what I couldn't do when there were so many things I could do.

My concern in this PC world, that standards will get lowered so that the military can meet some stupid threshold that the government will no doubt put in place, requiring that each service have xxx number of females in combatant roles. It's bound to happen, because some female somewhere will cry discrimination when she's dropped from a career field that she washed out of for not being able to meet the requirements. They'll make different standards for women than for men (just like PT) and women will be more vulnerable to the inherent dangers on the battlefield.

[thurley42]

It's all fine and dandy till bullets start flying.

[Bustem' Down]

Originally Posted by GURPS

are you walking your daughter down to the recruiting office ?

If she wants to join, yes. I would encourage her to go to college and get a commission first, but it's her choice.

[edinsomd]

BLACKFIVE: Get Over It! We Are Not All Created Equal

Straight from a hard core female Marine who has the chops.