Panetta to lift ban on women in combat

Discussion in 'Politics' started by IMFTrader, Jan 24, 2013.

  1. Without a fight, without a debate, without a controversy, the final nail has been sunk in the coffin of the U.S. military.

    And remember, the conservatives surrendered in principle to this catastrophe decades ago, when they accepted the integration of women in the service academies, then in the armed services themselves, then in quasi combat units. The “conservative” position on the feminization of the military over the last twenty years has been: “We support women in the military, we honor the men and women who have died in service to our country, we just don’t think women should serve in official combat positions.” It’s been a textbook case on the utter emptiness, meaninglessness, and fraudulence of liberalism .

    Sexual misconduct in the military is already a big problem. Expect it to get ten times bigger in the coming years.

    Panetta to lift ban on women in combat
    Published January 23, 2013

    Women in all branches of the military soon will have unprecedented opportunities to serve on the front lines of the nation's wars.

    Leon Panetta, in one of his last acts as President Obama's defense secretary, is preparing to announce the policy change, which would open hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.

    The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule banning women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units. Panetta's decision gives the military services until January 2016 to seek special exceptions if they believe any positions must remain closed to women.

    "This policy change will initiate a process whereby the services will develop plans to implement this decision, which was made by the secretary of defense upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," a senior defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

    Some front-line military roles may open to women as soon as this year. Assessments for others, such as special operations forces, including Navy SEALS and the Army's Delta Force, may take longer.

    A defense official told the Associated Press that the military chiefs must report back to Panetta with their initial implementation plans by May 15. The announcement on Panetta's decision is not expected until Thursday, so the official spoke on condition of anonymity.

    Panetta's move expands the Pentagon's action nearly a year ago to open about 14,500 combat positions to women, nearly all of them in the Army. This decision could open more than 230,000 jobs, many in Army and Marine infantry units, to women.

    Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., said he supports Panetta's decision.

    "The fact is that American women are already serving in harm's way today all over the world and in every branch of our armed forces," he said in a statement. "Many have made the ultimate sacrifice, and our nation owes them a deep debt of gratitude."

    In recent years the necessities of war propelled women into jobs as medics, military police and intelligence officers that were sometimes attached -- but not formally assigned -- to units on the front lines.

    Women comprise 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel.

    Panetta is preparing to step down as Obama begins his second term, with former Sen. Charles Hagel nominated to take Panetta's place.

    Fox News' Justin Fishel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/23/panetta-opens-combat-roles-to-women/
     
  2. Wallet

    Wallet

    Give em' what they want, but none of this voluntary crap, make em' register for the draft when they turn 18 just like the boys..... let's see how many dads out there support that at the polls.

    When they show up at boot, no segregated facilities, either you can cut the mustard or you can't, that means you better be able to sling your buddy over your shoulder and walk him out, or your gone with a general discharge.
     
  3. There is plenty of affirmative action going on in the military, not limited to the fact that men have to get their heads shaved in boot camp while women get to keep their hair any length they desire, even though their long-hair is a turn on for men.

    Since the widespread inclusion of women in the armed forces in the 1980s, the services have used a “gender-normed” PFT, gender-norming being Pentagon-speak for a handicapping system. This can be proven by looking up the physical fitness standards on-line; these are readily available. Female soldiers are not required to meet the same standards as male soldiers, in order to get the same score. In fact, in order to max out the PFT for a given age, a man must consistently perform at a higher level. This system amounts to affirmative action, though the military bends over backwards not to call it that for reasons of political correctness.

    Back when women were first permitted into areas formerly closed to them, and gals started doing weapons training and other formerly-male tasks, it was found that women – almost without exception – could not throw a grenade far-enough to escape its blast cone. Instead of admitting this politically-incorrect truth, the army dumbed down the grenade toss to make it easier for women. The same dilution of the testing was applied elsewhere women were having trouble, and the scoring system changed to weight “gender-neutral” tasks such as map-reading and first aid, more heavily.
     
  4. This is a perfect example of how identity politics hurts the country.

    The only people clamoring for women in combat are ambitious female officers who see it as a way to boost their career goals, plus the radical feminists who see it as a way of tearing men down. I guarantee you ordinary enlisted women are not looking forward to getting shot, blown up, raped and abused if captured. It's all so a handful of Paula Broadwells can strut around and pretend they're men.
     
  5. Bad idea. Just a really bad idea.
     
  6. pspr

    pspr

    I suspect there will be plenty of rape and abuse even if they aren't captured. This country has gone PC crazy.
     
  7. WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, in lifting a ban on women serving in combat, said women have become integral to the military's success and have shown they are willing to fight and die alongside their male counterparts.

    "The time has come for our policies to recognize that reality," Panetta said Thursday at a Pentagon news conference with Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
    Panetta said that not all women will be able to meet the qualifications to be a combat soldier.

    "But everyone is entitled to a chance," he said.
    He said the qualifications will not be lowered, and with women playing a broader role, the military will be strengthened.


    Really Leon? Then there won't be any women in front line positions, because without lowering the standards they won't make it. Lugging a 80lbs. Ruck through the bush in 100 degree heat and/or zero temps ain't gonna' happen for them. You can only be transported so far. Then you hump. There is no way to simulate real combat action. There just isn't. The fatigue factor is enormous. The mental strain is overwhelming. You can train as hard as you like, but in the back of your mind you know you're not going to die. Not really die. Out in the bush, you can't keep up, it's over. And it's not just over for you. It might mean it's over for those beside you.
    I admire their willingness to fight and die alongside their male counterparts. I really do, but they just don't belong that far out on the limb, and lot's of people are going to die as a result of your social engineering experiment Leon. A unit out in the bush can only move as fast as the slowest person, and bullets don't have a gender bias.
    You can bet your last buck there will be a whole bunch of cover ups when this starts costing people their lives.
     
  8. Democrats see the military as a tool to force prgressive social engineering ideas on an unwilling populace.

    Gay agenda, radical feminism, even wasting loads of money on "green" technology.
     
  9. This is some stupid shit unless the whole unit is female all the way from squad to brigade.

    I don't see any other configuration working.

    I don't care what liberals think about the interchangeability of men & women and that's why I oppose homosexual marriage's (unintended consequences or assumptions)
     
  10. If you want to know about women and combat, just investigate women and flight deck qualification training.
     
    #10     Jan 24, 2013