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.
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Fighting force or social experiment?
Talk amongst yourselves.
Well, as long as we feel good about the decision.
Diversity
Security
PICK ONE
Dumb
dumb
dumb
Just like the subs, they’ll be full of seamen.
Hot bunking just took on a whole new meaning.
So... Are they going to have a midwife onboard or an abortionist?
Someone should start the “first pregnant person to be evac’d from a Sub in open water” pool. Won’t that be fun loading a pregnant woman onto a helo basket in the middle of the North Atlantic?
“Dive, dive”!
Hey, Mike, how about broadening combat effectiveness of the military, you social engineering putz.
Just what kind of ‘diving’ were you insinuating there?
Prepare to snorkel!
Sooner they can have 100% female crews, the better.
Good call. What else do we have to do with our money than to retrofit our entire fleet of boats for absolutely no practical reason?
The albatross has landed and the Navy has gone down full stern ahead.
Hahahahaha....Foghorn Leghorn!
I was more shocked to find the Ray Mabus is the U.S Secretary of the Navy. Lord help us all.
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