Washington – Senior defense officials say Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is removing the military’s ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war.
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The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule banning women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units. Panetta’s decision gives the military services until January 2016 to seek special exceptions if they believe any positions must remain closed to women.
If a woman can do the job, more power to her.
Um…. every society on earth limits women in combat. Why? Simple – more vulnerable to violation/attack if captured and the proof is sadly throughout history. This is “PC” gone mad.
Lots of men soldiers come back from combat messed up mentally, I wonder what impact this will have on women soldiers when they will return.
Firstly, women are inferior and lack the physical stature of men which means that our army will be weaker.
Secondly, this just means men and women will be sleeping together on the front lines thus distracting our troops even further from the battle.
If women can serve in combat units in EY, there is no reason for them not to do so here in America, assuming they can meet the physical requirements. And to those sick minds who worry about them “sleeping together” on the fornt lines, I can assure you that the last thing someone at risk of attacks thinks about is the gender of someone with whom they share a bunker. If having someone of the opposite sex makes them less stressed, that is only for the better.
Could we limit the discussion to those of us who have in fact been shot at while in uniform? Thanks.
I don’t necessraily agree that women don’t have the upper body strength of men. There are some women who are weight lifters, and are just as strong as their male counterparts. Further, I agree that women should serve in certain combat roles such as military police, guarding installations, intelligence, artillery, transport, and fighter pilots. Women have served as fighter pilots in combat. For example, after 9/11/01, they helped bomb terrorist bases in Afghanistan. However, to place women in confined combat quarters with men (such as in a tank), is just not practical, unless certain tanks crews are all female.