Posted on 01/24/2013 9:21:16 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Women can now officially serve in ground combat roles.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed an order rescinding the 1994 rule that prevented women from being permanently assigned to combat units. Women have been allowed to serve in some combat roles for years, but this new announcement means women could eventually serve as Navy SEALs.
Retired Admiral George Worthington served more than 30 years as a SEAL, and says he supports women serving with SEALs.
But, when it comes to women being SEALs , he doesnt believe they can make the cut.
A lot of the men can't do it. They only graduate 25 to 30 percent of the people who volunteer, said Worthington.
On Thursday, the Pentagon officially lifted the ban on women serving in ground combat.
This may open the doors for women to serve as SEALs, but the training to become a SEAL is arguably the toughest in the military.
Worthington says even beyond the training, the SEALs have a unique culture that's essential to the mission.
It's the basic essence of Special Ops: you have to work together and develop the camaraderie, and I'm just doubtful that could happen with a female, said Worthington.
Brent Gleason is also a SEAL combat veteran, and he takes a different stance.
"I'm definitely all for it. I think that women certainly have the mental and physical ability to not only get into the program that is SEAL training, but also to successfully navigate that course and make it into the teams, said Gleeson.
The services will have to report their implementation plans for opening combat roles to women to the Pentagon by May 15.
But, they have until January 2016 to seek special exceptions if they believe any positions, like the SEALs, should remain closed to women.
If they can make it through BUDS, go for it.
Destroying the military in one stroke...
Priceless.
Currently every single man you will find in SEAL teams 1-5, teams 7 and 8, and team 10 are ultimate professionals. Whether the man is short or tall, black, white, Filipino-American, whatever, they can be counted on doing the job and they went through the same exact BUD/S and other training requirements. If women want to join, then they would need to go through the SAME requirements. Anything else is a weak link.
There cannot be a weak link.
If memory serves me right West Point has opened a SEALS type of program to include woman. Only two have tried and both dropped out first week.
If they dilute the requirements enough a woman could qualify. That’s their evil plan.
Stupid metrosexuals.
If they can’t make the cut, the standards will be lowered until they can. The last bastion of male achievement will likely be the Eagle Scout.
Just another one of Obama’s changes.
The Seals - over air, land, and sea with “no man left behind”, may need to be changed to...”no man, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender left behind.”
I have nothing but admiration and respect for our SEALs, but I couldn’t help the wisecrack.
There is nothing safe from Obama, nothing.
Sohhhh, they’ll schedule Ops around PMS?
If a chick can do the same job as a man, then go for it. However, and I’ll be gentle cuz yer a woman, if you can’t hack it, you’re out.
I don’t want to fight a woman and I don’t want one holding me back from killing a man.
Yup. Betcha they wouldn’t even last 1 day from my university fraternity hell week let alone a SEAL’s hell week.
As an ex-trained infantry man in WWII I could accept all female combat and special operations units provided the females met the same physical and training requirements as male personnel. I don’t think I would want to be in the vicinity of such units during actual combat or engagement for my own personal reasons but who knows if some female would be saving my life.
Infants may be showing up in the infantry.
I expect that women would start taking male steroids to get into the physical condition necessary to endure the demands of SEAL training. Women are doing it in sports. Track star Marion Jones comes to mind.
The practical reality is that women have ~60%-70% of the muscle mass of men. When it gets down to the nitty gritty, muscle is required in combat, and women don’t make the grade, just as they don’t in other areas where strength is required, like fireman.
Yes, there are exceptions, but it takes something like a 90th-percentile woman to equal the strength of a 50th-percentile man, and large militaries are about numbers, not individual exceptions.
This doesn’t even begin to address the hygienic difficulties women face, which is another can of worms. The WSJ article from yesterday touches on that, and should be required reading for idiots like Panetta who think this can work:
Ryan Smith: The Reality That Awaits Women in Combat
A Pentagon push to mix the sexes ignores how awful cheek-by-jowl life is on the battlefield.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323539804578260132111473150.html
Based on some of training I have seen on Military channel, no way a women will make it through BUDS training.
So, when does the NFL start hiring women to be linebackers?
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