Women in the Military: Why Can't We Serve on the Front Lines?

Forbes Woman:

The Defense Department recently announced new policies that will open more than 14,000 military job opportunities to women. Which seems like a great step-except that more than 200,000 positions will still remain exclusive to men, from front-line infantry positions to high-level special operations roles.

Why? According to a press release, "the department recognizes there are practical barriers that require time to resolve to ensure the services maximize the safety and privacy of all service members while maintaining military readiness."

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Comments

[tomodachi58]

09:49 AM on 05/12/2012

Part One

I love it when these type of articles always have a blurb about how Americans wouldn't stand for women coming home in body bags, but I guess it's perfectly alright to see men come back that way.

If a woman can pass the physical fitness standards and make it through training then there's no reason why they can't serve in a combat arms MOS. But the services need to make the physical fitness standards the same for both sexes, the current women's PT test standards are a joke and the actual performance standards during the test are often not enforced. Guys, and women if they're honest, who have watched how women are often graded on their pushups will understand what I am talking about. The new PT test that was supposed to be gender neutral is anything but.

On the comment sections on articles like these you'll see comments from women who say that anyone can pull the trigger on a weapon which makes it obvious that they have absolutely no understanding of what combat is really like, even if you are in a unit that travels by vehicle as opposed to infantry, the physical demands are taxing and often require heavy lifting and carrying. If a woman can pass a real gender neutral PT test, pass combat training, demonstrate the ability to carry a standard combat load with extra ammunition for crew served weapons, while wearing body armor, up and down hills, well, let her go ahead.

[Salem1]

12:39 PM on 05/12/2012

Why are you surprised at the double standard? America is built on the premise of male disposability. When the government mandates women join a group of men where a physical standard is necessary, women's groups howl to the government to either create a quota and/or lower the PT standard to bring "equality of outcome".

Women will be in the frontline, but they will have a lower PT standard just as they do in the current armed forces and other arena like police and firefighters. And you can be sure there will be a special committee/department/etc. set up just for women only even though they want to be "equal".