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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Yeah. Sad.
Dumb -just stupid...
The military brass in DC is apparently as out of touch with reality as the politicians -they seem more interested in politics than they do in the mission of military...
SNAFU
HAHAHAHAHA First thing I thought too.
***How about, Political Correctness? ***
Political Correctness has the armed forces scared stupid. They are all afraid of being attacked, not by the enemy, but the communists in this country. Fort Hood was only an example of its infiltration. SAVE OUR ARMED FORCES, get rid of Political Correctness and SAVE OUR COUNTRY.
What did you expect from a skimmer puke?
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