Posted on 02/26/2010 4:44:12 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2010 – Female sailors will begin serving on submarines by the end of next year, with Naval Academy graduates leading the way, Navy leaders told a Senate committee yesterday.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Navy is in a good position to move forward with integrating women onto submarines.
“We think we learned a lot about integrating women in the services years ago, and those lessons are relevant today,” Mabus said. Those lessons, he said, include having a “critical mass” of female candidates, having senior women to serve as mentors, and having submarines that don’t require modifications: the SSBN ballistic missile and SSGN guided-missile subs.
Finally, Mabus said, “We have the lesson learned to make sure any questions are answered, … and we’re very open and transparent on how we’ll do this. We think this is a great idea that will enhance our warfighting capabilities.”
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates notified Congress on Feb. 19 of the intended change to Navy policy. Mabus had pushed for the change since taking office in May. Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, endorsed the change, saying in a statement released in September that his experience commanding a mixed-gender surface-combatant ship makes him “very comfortable” integrating women into the submarine force. The Navy changed its policy to allow women to serve on combatant ships in 1993.
“We have a great plan, and we’re ready to go for the first women to come aboard in late 2011,” Roughead told the Senate committee yesterday. In a prepared statement to the committee, he said the change would enable the submarine force “to leverage the tremendous talent and potential of our female officers and enlisted personnel.”
Besides the incoming officers from the academy, the first women submariners will include female supply corps officers at the department head level, Roughead said. The change will be phased in over time to include enlisted female sailors on the SSBN and SSGNs, he said. Women will be added to the Navy’s SSN fast-attack submarines after necessary modifications can be determined, he said.
“This initiative has my personal attention, and I will continue to keep you informed as we integrate these highly motivated and capable officers into our submarine force,” Roughead told the committee.
“Tommy Cox~Blind Man’s Bluff”
One of the most exciting books I have ever read—totally incredible. We gave a copy to our family doc who served on the “Seawolf”, which makes him extra, extra special to us.
I am glad you enjoyed it.
I loved it as well.
BTW. Tommy Cox is just a submarine legend.
He is still alive in Caribou Maine. Buy the CDs.
The man deserves it.
And yet you have your facebook page linked on here?
Do you NOT REALIZE the mess this is going to create, putting women on a sub? /rhetorical question
And no, I'm not a sexist.
Duh.
SandRat, this is one of the DUMBEST, things I’ve read in a long time. Whoever came up with this brilliant idea needs to be throttled.
Look back at my comments. I made absolutely NO COMMENT relative to women being on subs, I am not Navy. Even if it does make a mess of things it does not make trashing women ok. Nice try to spin. The worst thing of all is the women on this site that support the men on this site trashing females, or supporting anyone making derogatory comments at all. Hypocrites even take it a step further and call themselves Christians or try to say they are not sexist. BS. Your comment is disheartening and I hope Brad is being raised to be a better man than some of the men on this site. I have been reading your comments for years and I have lost all the respect I once had for you, not to mention a few others. Have a nice day.
Well, LuvFR, you posted on a thread with this being the subject. What is anyone to think???
As to the rest of it, I'll let your words stand on their own.
All you FR men reading this? I've found you to be NOTHING but gentlemen to me and the other women on this forum for all the years I've been here. So? Carry on!
(USS L Mendel Rivers, SSN-686)"
Sorry for the late reply. I did not serve on a submarine, Namsman and I just have an interest in them and ping each other to submarine threads.
Thank you so much for your service!!
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