Posted on 02/23/2010 4:37:04 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The US navy has decided to allow women to serve on submarines, Pentagon officials said on Tuesday, ending one of the last all-male bastions in the American military.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates approved the recommendation and sent letters to Congress on Monday informing lawmakers of the plan, officials said.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, had briefed Gates on the change and "he's endorsed it and sent it on to Congress," press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.
Lawmakers have 30 days to comment on the move before it goes into effect, officials said.
American women can already serve on the Navy's fleet of warships and fly fighter aircraft but nuclear-powered subs have remained off limits.
US naval officers previously cited the extremely tight quarters of a submarine as the main reason for the prohibition, but those who favor lifting the ban say subs could be outfitted with separate berths and bathrooms.
The decision calls for "a phased approach to assigning women on submarines," said a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
One option under consideration would to first allow female officers to serve on submarines, the official told AFP.
That approach would involve less sweeping change as officers already have separate quarters from enlisted service members, the official said.
The first group of female officers selected for the duty would have to attend special training for submarines and for nuclear-powered vessels that takes more than a year, the official added.
Top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen first called for the change in written testimony to Congress last year, saying he wanted to "continue to broaden opportunities for women" in the armed forces.
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We always went to watch the Submarine Races and there was a lot of participation back then! Doing “IT” inside a Real Submarine is really gone to prove a Blast!
FUBAR is a great name for the next nuclear submarine that has a woman crew, because that is what they will be.
Long Live the USS FUBAR!
“Up your periscope. Full ramming speed”!
Well, I’m not politically correct.
Women have no place in the military. Yeah, they are smart, on the whole maybe smarter than men.
What society sends it’s women out to fight?
“Something doesn’t smell right, there. Entered service during the height of the Vietnam war, never sets a foot in-country, yet only serves 24 months and leaves a JG. Not possible.”
Politics.
“What society sends its women out to fight?”
An emasculated one.
The day females wear the crossed rifles on their uniforms and light blue cord is the day we are done....
IDIOCY!! The LIBERALS will get us ALL killed!
Ensign Brandy!! YIKES!
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AMEN!! Just like Israel USED to have great FIGHTERS....NO MORE.
Oh yeah.....used to be when ya came home a girlfriend or wife (or both) would ask whats that smell ?.......ya explained it was Aimee, the product they use in in air scrubbers.
Now it’ll get ya slapped and hot bunkin with the dog !
You beat me to it.
Wait’ll the rump wranglers report aboard.
Scrubbers will also have to be redesigned to handle hormonal secretions in the recirculated air. Has there been a study done to qualify and quantify the ramifications of no such design?
Psychologically, how will this adversely effect spouses upon deployment of their loved ones aboard a Boomer.
Not to mention the series of new ‘Boomer’ jokes likely to crop up.
From what I have read, once the propaganda need was over the Russians said never again, that it was a nightmare and not effective.
‘In 1983 I was in the Navy and was put in a group and asked about this possibility. Two people stood up and said, what difference do our opinions make?
‘They were right. Theyre going to do what theyre going to do.’
Wow, they could say the same thing at so many “public comment” sessions and in so many Letters to the Editor sections.
The old Communist workers’ joke is “They pretend to pay us and we pretend to work!”
In our flailing republic, we pretend to participate, and they pretend to respect us.
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