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US military to lift ban on women in combat


key2thecup

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Panetta to lift ban on women in combat

Women_combat.jpg

Women in all branches of the military soon will have unprecedented opportunities to serve on the front lines of the nation's wars.

Leon Panetta, in one of his last acts as President Obama's defense secretary, is preparing to announce the policy change, which would open hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.

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.

"This policy change will initiate a process whereby the services will develop plans to implement this decision, which was made by the secretary of defense upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," a senior defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Some front-line military roles may open to women as soon as this year. Assessments for others, such as special operations forces, including Navy SEALS and the Army's Delta Force, may take longer.

A defense official told the Associated Press that the military chiefs must report back to Panetta with their initial implementation plans by May 15. The announcement on Panetta's decision is not expected until Thursday, so the official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Panetta's move expands the Pentagon's action nearly a year ago to open about 14,500 combat positions to women, nearly all of them in the Army. This decision could open more than 230,000 jobs, many in Army and Marine infantry units, to women.

Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., said he supports Panetta's decision.

"The fact is that American women are already serving in harm's way today all over the world and in every branch of our armed forces," he said in a statement. "Many have made the ultimate sacrifice, and our nation owes them a deep debt of gratitude."

In recent years the necessities of war propelled women into jobs as medics, military police and intelligence officers that were sometimes attached -- but not formally assigned -- to units on the front lines.

Women comprise 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel.

Panetta is preparing to step down as Obama begins his second term, with former Sen. Charles Hagel nominated to take Panetta's place.

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My friends in the Army, who are seasoned combat veterans, are against this. Their response is straighforward. "I do not want them there. It is a matter of life or death. If I am hit or injured, a 5'6" 150lb woman is not strong enough to carry me off the field."

That woman's story is interesting. She states in her interview on Fox News that because of the intensity of training, she lost muscle mass, strength, and coordination to a degree where she was a liability in the field and could not continue with the training.

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My friends in the Army, who are seasoned combat veterans, are against this. Their response is straighforward. "I do not want them there. It is a matter of life or death. If I am hit or injured, a 5'6" 150lb woman is not strong enough to carry me off the field."

That woman's story is interesting. She states in her interview on Fox News that because of the intensity of training, she lost muscle mass, strength, and coordination to a degree where she was a liability in the field and could not continue with the training.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouw2TvGOR_Y

I'm all for feminism and women being equal to men. But this IMO is a wrong move.

Majority of the war zones out there still have army's that use rape as a weapon.

(I obviously don't agree with those despicable tactics)

I can just imagine the future horror stories of women being captured on the front lines.

I mean the military interventions of today are predominately fought in the 3rd world impoverished regions like Middle East, Africa, Certain parts of Asia & South America. Where the social development is not on par with the 1st world. In the 3rd world women are kept on a lower standard than men and we expect these type of atrocities to not occur in a conflict?

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A woman is at much more risk when it comes to rape. Let's not kid ourselves.

But if a woman understands this, and still wants to fight with the armed forces, I don't think she should be stopped. There's also a risk of death when you join. And that applies to both men and women. There has always been risk. I don't think it's a big deal if the government makes sure every woman wanting to fight is aware of the risk of rape.

All in all, I think it's a better argument than stuff like 'they're not strong enough' or 'but they'll bleed all over the place', but it's still not good enough though, imo.

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Some of the meanest SOB's I've ever met have been women, especially my older sister .. I would "scorn" them and turn em loose!! .. at night, when both sides are nestled deep in their foxholes, they can commence a running "nag" that will drive the Mujahedin batty, causing them to jump from their cover and charge blindly to their deaths .. psyche warfare at its best .. B)

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Some of the meanest SOB's I've ever met have been women, especially my older sister .. I would "scorn" them and turn em loose!! .. at night, when both sides are nestled deep in their foxholes, they can commence a running "nag" that will drive the Mujahedin batty, causing them to jump from their cover and charge blindly to their deaths .. psyche warfare at its best .. B)

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About time, why should some scared wimp of a man be allowed to fight but an ass kicking woman can't?

Of course women should have to meet all the same standards as men, no special low standards to make it easier for them to get in.

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I'm all for feminism and women being equal to men. But this IMO is a wrong move.

Majority of the war zones out there still have army's that use rape as a weapon.

(I obviously don't agree with those despicable tactics)

I can just imagine the future horror stories of women being captured on the front lines.

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