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To: donna

Yes, physically, men and women have different upper body and cardio-respiratory abilities (running). As you will also notice, there is no difference in the standard for sit-ups, where fit men and fit women have more-equal strength. Those physical fitness standards are just that, physical fitness, and nothing more, there are not the same as the specific requirements for any specific MOS (military occupation speciality). They represent base level general fitness standard and do not represent the absolute requirements of any specific military occupation speciality. For example, a duece-and-half (2 1/2 ton) truck driver, male or female has to meet the same requirments.

In addition, the minimum level of difficulty of fitness standards varies widely among the services. For example, to measure the cardiovascular endurance of 45-year-old men and women, the Navy requires a 1-1/2 mile run within about 17 and 18 minutes, respectively; the Army, a 2-mile run within about 19 and 24 minutes; and the Marine Corps, a 3-mile run within 30 minutes for men and 33 minutes for women (compariable to respective 15 minute and 16.5 minute rates for the 1.5 mile run used by the Navy). The Air Force measures cardiovascular endurance by having its personnel use a stationary bicycle, and requires 45-year old men and women to complete a simulated distance of about 1-1/2 miles in about 17 and 19 minutes, respectively.

And yes, because of the physical differences alone few women are able to qualify for some job categories - combat infrantryman for instance - but in todays highly technical military, which entails far more "support" roles than ever before, there are a wide range of MOS's that many women can qualify for. Also, while it is true that more women than men, at rates that vary between the different services, fail the physical fitness tets in basic training; guess what, just like the smaller number of men that fail, it means they don't get in.
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6104&page=68

Some jobs require different levels of physical fitness, and always have, and some women meet the levels required for some MOS's. http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6104&page=67

And further, every woman serving in a role that requires less than the top optimum physcial strength and endurance, opens the availability for a man that can be slotted into those roles that DO require that top optimum strength and endurance.

And yes, there are some women in the military who exceed the minimum physical fitness standards, just as there are men who just make their minimum standard and do not exceed it. The standards represent minimums desired/required, not fitness levels achieved.


89 posted on 12/26/2006 1:21:45 PM PST by Wuli (e)
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To: Wuli

Women have lower standards than men. They don't make the best soldiers.


93 posted on 12/26/2006 1:48:26 PM PST by donna
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To: Wuli

Just fyi, the air force portion of your cut and paste job there is rather outdated.

Air Force PT standards: Under 25, 1.5 mile run in 11:57 or less, 45 pushups, 50 situps, 1 minute each.


142 posted on 12/27/2006 7:28:47 AM PST by Ecthelion
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