Women as Army Rangers and Navy Seals by 2016

[jimmy olsen]

I'm sure the usual suspects here will be frothing at the mouth.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/17/19008258-women-in-combat-could-special-ops-be-the-next-stop?lite

[Razgovory]

Nothing a bit of rape won't cure.

[11B4V]

I'm sure the usual suspects here will be frothing at the mouth.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/17/19008258-women-in-combat-could-special-ops-be-the-next-stop?lite

I could give two flips about this.

[Eddie Teach]

I was going to make a joke about how now Siege could get in, but there's actually plenty of women who can run miles faster than 10 minutes.

[HVC]

As long as they don't make "fire fighter style exemptions" (carrying less weight and such) and they meeting the requirements I see no problems.

[Neil]

As long as they don't make "fire fighter style exemptions" (carrying less weight and such) and they meeting the requirements I see no problems.

Of course they will.  But what difference does it make?

[derspiess]

Terrible idea but you might as well do it at this point.  Combat effectiveness and national security take a back seat to things like people's self-esteem.

[Brazen]

The Aussies know how to handle sexism in the armed forces:
http://www.upworthy.com/boom-watch-an-angry-army-general-deliver-a-scathing-dressing-down-to-sexist-soldiers?c=ufb1

A selection of countries that do have women in their special forces:

South Korea's 707th Special Mission Battalion has a small number of female Special Forces operatives who are used in counter-terror operations. Always a pioneer of women in the military, Israel has opened the majority of combat positions to women, including Special Forces, since the late 1990s.

In 2011, Australia's defence minister announced that the last 7% of positions that had been closed to women, including Special Forces, would be opened up to them. In Denmark, all posts are already open to women, but physical requirements have so far prevented them from joining the country's Special Operations Forces.

Women have an essential role in the Afghan Army's Special Forces, conducting searches of households where women are put at ease by being questioned by other Afghan women.

[11B4V]

The Aussies know how to handle sexism in the armed forces:
http://www.upworthy.com/boom-watch-an-angry-army-general-deliver-a-scathing-dressing-down-to-sexist-soldiers?c=ufb1

They do? Really? They could have fooled me.

[The Minsky Moment]

Combat effectiveness and national security take a back seat to things like people's self-esteem.

So true but eventually the hysterical homophobes will fade away and we won't have to lose valuable gay servicemen.

Oh wait, were you talking about something else?

[derspiess]

HA!

[Neil]

Terrible idea but you might as well do it at this point.  Combat effectiveness and national security take a back seat to things like people's self-esteem.

In this modern world, what does combat effectiveness matter?  Just avoid combat.  And national security?  How does having women fighting affect national security one iota?

[Neil]

So true but eventually the hysterical homophobes will fade away and we won't have to lose valuable gay servicemen.

Are gays especially valuable to you?

[Admiral Yi]

A selection of countries that do have women in their special forces:

South Korea's 707th Special Mission Battalion has a small number of female Special Forces operatives who are used in counter-terror operations. Always a pioneer of women in the military, Israel has opened the majority of combat positions to women, including Special Forces, since the late 1990s.

In 2011, Australia's defence minister announced that the last 7% of positions that had been closed to women, including Special Forces, would be opened up to them. In Denmark, all posts are already open to women, but physical requirements have so far prevented them from joining the country's Special Operations Forces.

Women have an essential role in the Afghan Army's Special Forces, conducting searches of households where women are put at ease by being questioned by other Afghan women.

This doesn't seem to be a list of countries that have women in their special forces, except for the Afghan Sewing Circle Assault Guards.

[crazy canuck]

Combat effectiveness and national security take a back seat to things like people's self-esteem.

Not sure why combat effectiveness would suffer if minimum standards are created to maintain such effectiveness.  Not sure what national security has to do with the issue.  Cant think of the last last female that pulled a Snowden.