OT: Women on subs

[copeab]

US women to be allowed to serve on submarines. I find it interesting who allegedly is most upset about this ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/..._on_submarines

[pmulcahy11b]

I know it's wrong, but I keep thinking about the movie Operation Petticoat...I'm not normally that chauvinistic!

[Matt Wiser]

Or the 1970s TV series, with a young Jamie Lee Curtis as one of the nurses. Anyway, it's about time. And it's a good idea to have women first on the boomers and the SSGNs, and then gradually get them onto the fast-attack boats. And despite what Elaine Donnelly and Phyllis Schafly would have you think, this was a non-issue for Congress. (I wish those two would just shut up!)

[pmulcahy11b]

I think a logical next step would be for the Army and Marines to open up the attack helicopter field to women.

[Fusilier]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I think a logical next step would be for the Army and Marines to open up the attack helicopter field to women.

To me the next logical step would be to open up any field.

[Matt Wiser]

The attack helo field has been open to women since 1993 in both the Army and USMC. The only fields closed are:

Infantry

Armor

Field Artillery

SOF (SEALs, Rangers, Army SF, AF PJs and Combat Control Teams)

Battlefield Air Defense (Stinger teams, Humvee Avengers, Bradley Stinger)

Though I imagine that will change, since the current Army Chief of Staff and the Chairman of the JCS have called for a reevaluation of these restrictions.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Fusilier

To me the next logical step would be to open up any field.

Me too. We have had equal opportunity military since the 1970s.

If a woman can pass selection and make it through training as well as a man she is in up here .Fighter pilots,infantry,artillery,subs etc .I have yet to hear of a female SF operator though..But considering the selection process..It is so brutal that hardly anyone makes it at all.probably women have tried and failed .But it is of course all secret .

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Fusilier

To me the next logical step would be to open up any field.

Yes, but you know how military inertia is. You have to do things in steps...integration of women is never going to happen all at once, at least not in the US military.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by copeab

US women to be allowed to serve on submarines.

Nice to see that Australia is ahead of the game in this area.