Posted on 02/18/2012 7:20:22 AM PST by BarnacleCenturion
The Pentagon made big news last week when it announced it was opening up more combat positions to women in the U.S. military. These 14,000 positions include tank mechanics and front line intelligence officers. However, about one-fifth of active-duty military positions, including the infantry, combat tank units and special operations commando units, will remain off-limits.
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Last week’s rule change in the United States was largely a reflection of the fact that women are, to a large extent, already participating in combat. Despite the restrictions in place, 144 American women have been killed and 865 wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001, according to the Defense Department.
The number of countries that have opened front line combat positions is also larger than you might think (or than media reports sometimes suggest). A 2010 survey by the British Ministry of Defense listed Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania and Sweden as countries that allow women in “close combat roles,” defined as “engaging an enemy on the ground with individual or crew served weapons, while being exposed to hostile fire and to a high probability of direct physical contact with the hostile forces personnel.” Australia joined that list in September 2011 when it opened its front-line units — including one of the largest contingents in Afghanistan — to women.
A handful of other countries could probably also be added. South Korea has begun opening up more front line positions to women, including in artillery and armored divisions. Women have fought in Eritrea’s military since its war of independence from Ethiopia in 1991 — at one point they made up 30 percent of the country’s combat forces — and are required, along with men, to serve a year and a half of military service. Women have flown combat missions as fighter pilots for Britain, Pakistan, Serbia, South Africa, the United States and others.
In Israel, which is well known as one of the few countries where women are drafted, the policy is evolving. Santorum cited Israel as a country that doesn’t allow women on the front lines because of the psychological effect it has on men. But in fact, the Israeli military does allow women in the vast majority of combat positions.
1. There is no such thing as a "front line" anymore.
2. Even if there was a front line, nobody is forcing women to serve.
Oh really? Do you guarantee that? On what basis?
Point one is well taken.
Point two. Women will be forced by feminists who will tell young women they are just as able to fight as well as men and if they dont join up they will never be accepted as equals.
Of course.....I may be wrong.....
There is no need for a front line anymore. If you still want to fight wars that way, then we are sure to lose.
How absurd. Tell that to the Koreans, Taiwanese or Israeli’s who could easily find themselves in such a war.
The Clinton sexcapades (and Edwards) discredited all feminists groups as political (not feminists) entities. When was the last time NOW or anything similar found its way to the MSM. If women join today, it's because they want to serve their country.
Apparently not too easily or it would have occurred long ago.
Well, Soviets learnt all aspects on the subject during WWII and there is no unknown spots left. There are some combat roles which proved to be suitable for females. In some demanding roles they were better than men. They were perfect snipers and pilots. If I’m not mistaking Russia’s top sniper is woman with 300+ confirmed kills. The most decorated Soviet strike airwing was all female known as ‘Night Witches’. AA teams were predominately female there and did a good job repelling Luftwaffe.
They were in infantry and tank units thus segregated from men.
Unlike army and airforce Soviet navy for some reason hasn’t allowed women.
Until now you won’t find woman in Russian submarine.
It’s odd they’re still preparing for it then, isn’t it?
Are they?
You’re obviously not that well informed. What exactly is your military experience? Have you ever spent any time with a ground unit in combat? Or with a ground unit at all? A simple drive around Korea (or Switzerland for that matter) would indicate there are nations that take the possibility of a ground war seriously.
So the Russians don’t allow female sailors? Well perhaps they have given them real world damage control ability tests and discovered (as the New York Fire Department has) that the vast majority of females cannot perform rigorous damage control and firefighting tasks. Then again, perhaps the Russians simply don’t want a shameful incident like this: http://articles.latimes.com/2003/apr/05/news/war-nofrat5 ?
So the Russians don’t allow female sailors? Well perhaps they have given them real world damage control ability tests and discovered (as the New York Fire Department has) that the vast majority of females cannot perform rigorous damage control and firefighting tasks. Then again, perhaps the Russians simply don’t want a shameful incident like this: http://articles.latimes.com/2003/apr/05/news/war-nofrat5 ?
lol.... ok, I think we're through here.
Tell ya what, if war comes to any of these countries, let's pick it up again...rotflmao
You are too set on your own idea of what war will be in the future.
China has a long term plan to deal with us. Our Soldiers will be hand to hand with theirs at some point. This will occur AFTER the breakfast bombing. They will bomb the sh*t out of us as well, so our survivors will be fighting their survivors.
The Chinese military will be brutally killing our female Soldiers and our male Soldiers will be trying to save some of the females, thus being killed in the process. Our fighting force will be much depleted, thanks to the social experiment being forced on the Military by office dwelling, lala land inhabiting know-nothings that have learned all they needed to know about combat, women, and grunts in their Ivy league classrooms and high paying government job.
It is sad and every man or woman who has served i n a combat or forward deployed situation knows the reality of what is happening.
How is it advantageous for China to "deal with us"?
Lol, if war comes to Korea or elsewhere, I suspect you won’t be among the dead Marines or Soldiers who will pay the price of a feminized force.
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas. Like I said, write me when it starts.
...by the way, you didn’t answer my question as regards your own combat experience. What brigade did you serve with?
...fruits and nuts in your case, I suspect with the accent on fruits. Enjoy yourself behind the lines where ever that may be, and give our regards to ‘fightin’ McSally.
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