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Retire the Myths; Women Are Ready for Combat
NYT ^ | 8-20-15 | Anu Bhagwati

Posted on 08/22/2015 4:25:02 PM PDT by smokingfrog

The defense secretary has an incredible opportunity to usher in the end of legalized sex discrimination in the military.

As tens of thousands of women have proved over 13 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, women are capable of the combat skills necessary to fight alongside their male counterparts. The question now is whether to give women the opportunity to compete for coveted combat arms assignments, such as infantry and special forces.

Since the Pentagon formally rescinded the combat exclusion policy in 2013, well over 100 women have successfully passed the Marine Corps’ enlisted infantry school and two female officers will graduate from the Army’s elite Ranger School this week — debunking three long-held cultural myths: that women don’t want these jobs, they are mentally and physically too weak for these jobs, and training standards have to be lowered for women to do these jobs.

But as of yet, none of these female warriors can legally be assigned to infantry or other combat arms billets for which they have proved themselves qualified. It’s like surviving the trials of medical school and being told you can’t be a doctor.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter needs to ensure the following happens going forward if he wants integration efforts to create a stronger fighting force:

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: anubhagwati; demagogicparty; memebuilding; militaryservice; misogyny; newyork; newyorkcity; newyorkslimes; newyorktimes; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; war; womenincombat
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To: smokingfrog

Do we have so few men that we must put women, the mothers of our children, in combat against uncivilized killers?


81 posted on 08/22/2015 7:03:14 PM PDT by captain_dave
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To: CondorFlight

“Ergo, their presence in an infantry squad will detract, rather than add to, that squad’s readiness.”

Yeah, agree. But, I’m guessing it’s much to do about nothing. What women want is their “No Sweat Tab” and maybe a brief stint in some infantry unit. Then they’ll have the cred’s for Field Grade promotions. No worrie, Ranger and special Op’s units ain’t gonna be over run with women.


82 posted on 08/22/2015 7:13:06 PM PDT by snoringbear (E.oGovernment is the Pimp,)
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To: snoringbear
Well, for certain there will be nothing like the female “tab getter” who climbs the ranks of REMF’s. REMF personified and sanctimonious, and... litigious
83 posted on 08/22/2015 7:30:28 PM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: smokingfrog
But...but we already knew that!

Didn't Hillary already tell us she landed in Bosnia under sniper fire?

84 posted on 08/22/2015 7:40:21 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: smokingfrog

As a retired paratrooper, please do give a few battalions of female infantry so they can be chewed up in close combat. Some day in the future, it will once again be the mission of the infantry “to close with and destroy” the enemy. On that day, all the current crowd will find agony in their cries for equality on the battlefield. Today’s infantry has not really gone toe-to-toe in pitched battles which raged up through history into Viet Nam. That “some day” will be a sad day of reckoning.


85 posted on 08/22/2015 7:40:23 PM PDT by Jumper
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To: DuncanWaring

Dun... What kind of nation have we become when the men let the women do the fighting?


86 posted on 08/22/2015 7:42:17 PM PDT by willibeaux (de ole Korean War vet age 85)
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To: captain_dave

That woman actually DESIRE to be in combat (or even a cop for that matter) is but a sign of a father who failed in his responsibility to his daughter. Men of this nation should be ashamed that it’s come to this.


87 posted on 08/22/2015 7:45:40 PM PDT by MaskedMan
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To: DuncanWaring

Dun... What kind of nation have we become when the men let the women do the fighting?


88 posted on 08/22/2015 7:47:37 PM PDT by willibeaux (de ole Korean War vet age 85)
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To: snoringbear
they need their ticket punched all right...
89 posted on 08/22/2015 8:17:52 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -w- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: DuncanWaring

The women were able to replace men in the factories and so release men for military service. in WW2, There were and are many jobs women can do in the military, especially in logistics. But at bottom, this has all to do with the promotion system, who makes general rather than the efficiency of the service. The pool of women capable to serving in combat arms is much smaller than the pool of men.


90 posted on 08/22/2015 8:54:29 PM PDT by RobbyS (quotes)
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To: DuncanWaring

The women were able to replace men in the factories and so release men for military service. in WW2, There were and are many jobs women can do in the military, especially in logistics. But at bottom, this has all to do with the promotion system, who makes general rather than the efficiency of the service. The pool of women capable to serving in combat arms is much smaller than the pool of men.


91 posted on 08/22/2015 8:54:49 PM PDT by RobbyS (quotes)
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To: smokingfrog
The precedent is being set! Females will soon be required to register with the Selective Service Administration and get that number. When a draft is again needed, females will be drafted.

We (family including granddaughters) will never comply when all of that comes to pass.

Females were not included in the SSA process for very good traditional societal reasons. Traditional family and historical thought on families is a specific and deliberate target.

92 posted on 08/22/2015 8:59:53 PM PDT by John Leland 1789
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To: MaskedMan
"That woman actually DESIRE to be in combat (or even a cop for that matter) is but a sign of a father who failed in his responsibility to his daughter. Men of this nation should be ashamed that it’s come to this."

TRUTH!!

93 posted on 08/22/2015 9:02:28 PM PDT by John Leland 1789
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To: Jumper
As a retired paratrooper, please do give a few battalions of female infantry so they can be chewed up in close combat. Some day in the future, it will once again be the mission of the infantry “to close with and destroy” the enemy. On that day, all the current crowd will find agony in their cries for equality on the battlefield. Today’s infantry has not really gone toe-to-toe in pitched battles which raged up through history into Viet Nam. That “some day” will be a sad day of reckoning.

Very well said, Jumper. It's all bullshit until actual, desperate infantry combat is joined. The horror is unspeakable. It is not even for average men, who themselves are stronger than the toughest women. It is slaughter.

94 posted on 08/22/2015 9:19:02 PM PDT by Always A Marine
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To: smokingfrog

I see two main axis for this push:

A. Get more lesbian bulldykes into general officer slots through combat arms ticket-punching.

B. Further weaken the fighting capacity of American Arms which effort has really increased since the first Bush in order to promote the NWO slave society.


95 posted on 08/22/2015 11:15:48 PM PDT by Rockpile
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To: Always A Marine; Jumper

When are we going to see all female tank crews and FA crews? Since women are superior in every way they would be sensational at things like humping rounds and breaking tracks.


96 posted on 08/22/2015 11:23:22 PM PDT by Rockpile
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To: Twinkie

I would probably offer this observation that to some degree...body-fat standards and fitness scores have created a new force (to include guys)....who lack physical strength to fill or carry sandbags....or they have routine physical injuries to such a degree that they are on some waiver.

I stood there in 1990 during a deployment and we had to put up a sandbag area near the deployment tent. I was the only chunky guy out of the ten guys and the only one that still had any energy left after hour one of the sandbag episode. I stood there in disbelief....several of these 160-pound guys were not in any shape to handle the sandbag routine.

I don’t think it’s just a female thing....it goes across the whole spectrum and involves guys as well.


97 posted on 08/23/2015 2:11:42 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: stormer

She was a sniper, not the same thing as a front line soldier. Women snipers were needed because so many men were dead, or otherwise needed on the front lines, such as they were during the Battle of Stalingrad.


98 posted on 08/23/2015 3:18:18 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Chainmail

Acording to a comment on another thread, the two women, both West Pointers, were walked through by a “guest” walker - the base general, Scott Miller. That they “graduated” was puely political, as only those two (out of a starting group of 138) made it - after repeatedly failing part of the course and being repeatedly recycled back.

see here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3327289/replies?c=46


99 posted on 08/23/2015 3:24:32 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: paintriot

From the free throw line, a dwarf can make baskets ass well as the tallest player in the league. We still don’t see dwarf basketball teams in the NBA. Liberal logic implies it is just anti-dwarf bigotry at hand.


100 posted on 08/23/2015 3:34:17 AM PDT by Cvengr ( Adversity in life & death is inevitable; Stress is optional through faith in Christ.)
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