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 over the potential change in mission effectiveness if women were to serve in direct combat roles (though General Odierno focused on their “talent”).

As if to prove the point, the article says women have “proved their mettle,” and then cites as evidence the women who have been killed and wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan — as if death and injury are the standards of measurement.

While “equality” is the recurring theme, it is not as simple as it might seem:  For example, the military branches have yet to demand the same physical standards between the genders. Update: And there are even separate “powder puff” football games for the ladies in the military.

The topic of women in the military is complex; some might say it is as much or more so than the topic of homosexuals in the military.