The US Army Chief of Staff, General Ray Odierno, has said he wants an expanded role for women in combat units:
“We need them there. We need their talent,” he said. “This is about managing talent. We have incredibly talented females who should be in those positions.”
As with prior discussions, the article seems to place more emphasis on the “lost opportunities” for career advancement due to the lack of combat experience Read more
According to the Air Force Times, the all-female F-15E Strike Eagle combat flight orchestrated as part of Women’s History Month “spark[ed] debate” over the issue of women in combat. The article is largely composed of reader inputs to the Times’ calls for comment. Most of the comments support lifting restrictions, and most (including women) also say the standards should be the same for men and women.
The ironic part of that statement is men and women aren’t currently held to the same standard; for example, in every service women have different Read more
Previous articles have noted the recommendation by a government panel that women be allowed in all military roles, including combat, because their careers suffer when they are compared to males with broader or combat experience.
A recent article highlighting female Army aviators noted the statistic:
According to a study released earlier this month by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, women account for only 16 percent of leadership positions in the military – a seemingly staggering statistic to release during National Women’s History Month.
The very next sentence, however, puts the statistic in perspective: Read more
USA Today notes preliminary data from the US Army indicates “the suicide rate for female soldiers triples when they go to war.”
The findings…show that the suicide rate rises from five per 100,000 to 15 per 100,000 among female soldiers at war. Scientists are not sure why but say they will look into whether women feel isolated in a male-dominated war zone or suffer greater anxieties about leaving behind children and other loved ones.
Some might earlier have called that last statement sexist, particularly in light of recent recommendations that women be allowed in combat Read more