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Women could be great Navy SEALs, says head of Special Ops
csmonitor.com ^ | January 29, 2013 | Anna Mulrine

Posted on 01/29/2013 7:18:17 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe

The head of Special Operations Forces (SOF) says he supports the integration of women into the elite force.

“It’s time to do this,” says the organization’s top officer, Adm. William McRaven.

“We’ve had women supporting direct Special Operations for quite some time,” he added in remarks Tuesday morning at the Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict conference in Washington.

The necessity, he said, is ensuring that all special operators are in peak physical condition. “The one thing we want to make sure [we do is] we maintain our standards,” McRaven said. ....

McRaven said that he has been reading recent Pentagon guidance about establishing “gender-neutral standards.”

Currently, he said, “we have no gender standards,” since it is only males who have been going through Ranger and Navy SEAL training, for example.

It’s important that there is not a two-tiered standard of physical requirements going forward, he adds.

That said, McRaven says he has no doubt that some women will flourish in the elite SOF community. “I guarantee you” that there will be females who come to the basic underwater demolition (BUD/S), the Navy SEAL course, “and do a phenomenal job.”

(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: liar; specialforces; usmilitarybhodod; womenincombat
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To: Tailgunner Joe

I’ve been in combat with Seals. I’ve never met a woman that could equal those men. Sounds like the Admiral has drunk the PC Kool-aid.


21 posted on 01/29/2013 8:04:54 PM PST by SailormanCGA72
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To: MasterGunner01

Doubt it. Most men physically couldn’t become a SEAL if they absolutely wanted to.

I know I couldn’t of in my prime. My metabolism was too high, I dehydrate too easily, and cannot function on less than 6 hours sleep, and I’m man enough to admit it. That’s why I didn’t join the Marines with the papers right in front of me, I knew I couldn’t cut it at that age.

I don’t know of any woman who could pass SEAL training and operate at their level. They are simply not built for that, physically or mentally. That’s life, that’s reality.


22 posted on 01/29/2013 8:11:08 PM PST by Free Vulcan (Vote Republican! [You can vote Democrat when you're dead]...)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

First screening test using a live grenade:

Can the women candidates throw a hand grenade far enough to not be killed or wounded by the grenade?


23 posted on 01/29/2013 8:12:19 PM PST by Calamari (Pass enough laws and everyone is guilty of something.)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

McRaven should be forced to retire, he’s been kissing *** long enough.


24 posted on 01/29/2013 8:12:38 PM PST by jazusamo ("Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith)
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To: SailormanCGA72

I thought so too, but he drops in the equal standards thing knowing no woman can achieve that, and IMO is very nicely telling them to F off.


25 posted on 01/29/2013 8:14:19 PM PST by Free Vulcan (Vote Republican! [You can vote Democrat when you're dead]...)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Yeah, lower the physical standards for SEALS down to that of mall cops. That’ll work.


26 posted on 01/29/2013 8:15:32 PM PST by lurk
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To: cunning_fish

I have watched portions of special forces training for Seals, Rangers, etc. After watching, it was clear to me that I could not hack it and I was one heck of an athlete.

One that particularly stuck out to me was Air Force spec ops swimming around with tires around their necks. This was at Hurlburt field. All of this was on tv. I was not there in person.

For instance, I could run a 10.4 hundred meters. Does the fact that no woman in the world could run that fast not make some people a little curious? Interestingly that is one event where women do fairly well, at least one did. “Flo Jo” ran a 10.5 hundred meters and no other woman has really come close.

Of course that Jamaican guy ran faster than I would ever have guessed a human would do. Basically we probably throw out those as they are too far off the mean.

Those guys who only run 9.9 would include one in a hundred million, probably closer to one in a billion. Same thing with girls, those who can run 10,6 are maybe 1 in 100,000,000 or even one in a billion.

Still I was faster than 3 or 4 billion females and we had a guy on our college team who ran a 10 flat. He was ranked in the top ten in the world and he would have beaten a similarly ranked female by over 30 feet.

I remember tacking star college running backs. I would love to see the girl who could take a hit from one of those running backs once they got up speed and not get a concussion.


27 posted on 01/29/2013 8:21:15 PM PST by yarddog (One shot one miss.)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

When I was at the Naval Academy, the O-course had separate obstacles for men and women. The wall was lower for the women, some obstacles had “steps” they could use, and they were permitted to run around some obstacles. One night, the women portions of the obstacles were painted pink by some of the mids, the administration did not think it was funny. The official story from the administration was that the physical requirements were to be as difficult for the women as compared to other women, not to other men.

Today’s Navy is so PC it makes me ill. Try to find the test scores of minorities admitted to the Naval Academy as compared to all persons taking the SAT or all incoming plebes. You wont be able to because the Naval Academy only provides the scores for minority plebes as compared to other minorities.

I once was proud to have attended the Naval Academy and to have served in the US Navy. Now I am frequently embarrassed.

The standards will be lowered so women can pass.


28 posted on 01/29/2013 8:21:24 PM PST by wfu_deacons
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To: Tailgunner Joe

They make better Mermaids...


29 posted on 01/29/2013 8:23:21 PM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously, you won't live through it anyway)
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To: steve86

The jewels are in the lockbox.


30 posted on 01/29/2013 8:23:33 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Funny, Obama didn’t promise tis when he ran for re-election. Must have forgotten.


31 posted on 01/29/2013 8:26:57 PM PST by Our man in washington
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To: Tailgunner Joe

Most guys can’t make it through SEAL training.

How’s it going to look when no women (and we’re talking very fit women) can make it through SEAL training?

You think that’s the result they are looking for? And will be happy with?


32 posted on 01/29/2013 8:30:22 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: Free Vulcan

Knowing your own limits and being honest about them makes you a better opponent. Just doing that. You can work on or compensate for weaknesses and build up strengths.


33 posted on 01/29/2013 8:36:52 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

On another site where I post, a guy who appears to be a SEAL says it’s all about the weight you can carry (after you’re an actual live SEAL).

100 rounds of 5.56 weighs 3 pounds. Stuff starts adding up fast.


34 posted on 01/29/2013 8:39:14 PM PST by kiryandil (turning Americans into felons, one obnoxious drunk at a time (Zero Tolerance!!!))
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To: Secret Agent Man

You know what the answer is.

They will make the course easier for the women then tell everyone that they go through the same course. That will be true to an extent. If they cannot go over a wall, they will be allowed to go around it while they would never allow a guy to do the same.

If they fall off the rope into the water they will be allowed to either swim or walk ashore or have a lifesaver bring them ashore.

Yes they will go through the same training as the men but in a much easier way.

Actually TV and movies have been showing women typically beating up men for so long, a lot people actually believe it.

Of course the girls have to be gorgeous Charlie’s Angels types while the men will usually be bald headed middle aged men. For some reason the TV/Movie makers love to have beautiful women beat up middle aged guys.


35 posted on 01/29/2013 8:44:59 PM PST by yarddog (One shot one miss.)
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To: Tailgunner Joe
They already have, haven't they?


36 posted on 01/29/2013 8:45:36 PM PST by Trailerpark Badass (So?)
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To: Tailgunner Joe

I am no military expert—but this sounds like an extremely bad idea.


37 posted on 01/29/2013 8:47:26 PM PST by proud American in Canada (Please pray for America. She needs God's help more than ever now.)
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To: Secret Agent Man
A quote from another site (and a younger, fitter man):

No doubt some women will be able to make it through the training of say Ranger School and or BUD/S. Absolutely NO way will they be able to 'bear the weight' you are required to carry for real missions. In BUD/S we did a couple marches and slow jobs with a 40lb ruck sack. Longest was 12 miles.

In my team, we regularly humped an 85lb kit for 20 miles over 3 days or swam that same kit for 4 miles and then walked some distance once over the beach.

Even today, my basic loadout (helmet, weapons, plates, rifle, carriers, ammo, NVGs, radio, med kit) weighs 60 lbs. No backpack, grenades, grenade launchers, smokes, flares, food, satcoms, HF/VHF radios, cameras, laptops, snivel gear, or water.

Just one man's opinion, but it's not the training they they will fail at, it is the mission requiring moving your lightweight gear, on foot, to the fight.

38 posted on 01/29/2013 8:48:11 PM PST by kiryandil (turning Americans into felons, one obnoxious drunk at a time (Zero Tolerance!!!))
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To: steve86
Seems that virtually all top officers have undergone some sort of diabolical disorientation <<<

Naaah...its just when your boss wears pink and mentions how you'd look good in it to.....you picture yourself in his position..... wearing pink..

39 posted on 01/29/2013 8:50:40 PM PST by M-cubed
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To: kiryandil

This may be BS but I’ve heard that one exercise that the SEALS have to do is sit in a room all day in swim shorts and no heat and complete exercises at a desk. There are no bathroom breaks, no time outs no leaving your desk. If you have to go you have to do it in your shorts.

Maybe you can verify.


40 posted on 01/29/2013 8:52:10 PM PST by USAF80
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