They've had "success" pushing it because liberal politicians are jamming it down the the military's throat. It's a top-down thing. All the military can do is salute and say "yes, sir." If there were a true lack of manpower in the combat arms, there's a ready-made solution, it's called "the draft."
I don't look to the Young Republicans as a gauge of anything relevant to the military. Try finding a veteran in Congress or the Senate.
We can’t have a military draft; it would mean the Sununu and Romney boys would have to serve in uniform. Across the board, the drive to put women in the miltary was spurred by the unwillingness of large segements of our young males to serve in the military.