I do not agree with this decision. I think it is a damaging one, and I think it is not being thought through.
This has nothing to do with my respect for women. I am a civilian, and work with women above me and below me in the chain of command. I have enormous respect for many I work with, and view them as I would any other boss or co-worker.
But I am not now in the military, and I sure am not on a sub.
To be honest, I saw the PBS special a few years back “Carrier”, and I was appalled. To be fair, I know it was slanted, and I know they were trying to film it like a reality show, and I know I am basically an old fart in many respects.
But the issues they portrayed were real, not fabricated, and I have to say, as someone who spent the better part of four years on various carriers back in the Seventies, I cannot imagine in a million years experiencing those types of deployments.
Mixed sex ships and combat units is a major mistake, period. I am not even going to discuss the concept of physical tasks like carrying someone up a ladder. I just think having people of that age, together in that environment is bad for the mission.
Some seem to think it is disrespect for women, or worse, misogyny, but it is nothing of the sort.
What another poster said is true: It is challenging enough in a single sex environment.
If a sub gets into enough trouble that they have to worry about carrying people up ladders inside them, I’d think it would have much more to worry about than that.