NEWS: Panetta Opens Combat Positions to Women

SecDef Panetta has just opened thousands of combat roles to women.

Senior defense officials say Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is removing the military’s ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war.

The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units. Panetta’s decision gives the military services until January 2016 to seek special exceptions if they believe any positions must remain closed to women.

A senior military official says the services will develop plans for allowing women to seek the combat positions. Some jobs may open as soon as this year. Assessments for others, such as special operations forces, including Navy SEALS and the Army’s Delta Force, may take longer.

The official said the military chiefs must report back to Panetta with their initial implementation plans by May 15. The announcement on Panetta’s decision is not expected until Thursday, so the official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Panetta’s move expands the Pentagon’s action nearly a year ago to open about 14,500 combat positions to women, nearly all of them in the Army. This decision could open more than 230,000 jobs, many in Army and Marine infantry units, to women.

By: Brant

USAF Appoint Female Commander to Training Unit Rocked by Scandals

The USAF is trying to clean up Randolph by putting a woman in charge of Air Force basic training after the sex scandal there.

The Air Force chose a woman Saturday to lead its basic training unit at a Texas base where dozens of female recruits have alleged they were sexually assaulted or harassed by male instructors within the past year.
Col. Deborah Liddick is taking command of the 737th Training Group, bringing a distinctly new face of authority to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Six male instructors have been charged with crimes ranging from rape to adultery, and there are others still under investigation.
The Air Force announced Liddick's appointment in a statement that didn't mention the sex scandal or highlight choosing a woman to lead a unit where the number of women identified by military investigators as potential victims is approaching 40.
About one in five recruits at Lackland are women, while most instructors are men.
"I look forward to and have the utmost confidence in having Col. Liddick take the reins of basic military training," Col. Mark Camerer, commander of the 37th Training Wing at Lackland, said in the statement.
Lackland is where every new American airman reports for basic training, graduating about 35,000 each year.
Liddick is already stationed in San Antonio, where she serves as chief of the maintenance division at the former Randolph Air Force Base. She is scheduled to take command Friday.

By: Brant

Women in Combat? Women in Combat Arms?

An impassioned plea from a female Marine puts some serious questions on the table about gender integration with combat arms.

First, the author's bonafides. She's the exact sort of candidate that would be first in line for an infantry billet.

As a young lieutenant, I fit the mold of a female who would have had a shot at completing IOC, and I am sure there was a time in my life where I would have volunteered to be an infantryman. I was a star ice hockey player at Bowdoin College, a small elite college in Maine, with a major in government and law. At 5 feet 3 inches I was squatting 200 pounds and benching 145 pounds when I graduated in 2007. I completed Officer Candidates School (OCS) ranked 4 of 52 candidates, graduated 48 of 261 from TBS, and finished second at MOS school. I also repeatedly scored far above average in all female-based physical fitness tests (for example, earning a 292 out of 300 on the Marine physical fitness test). Five years later, I am physically not the woman I once was and my views have greatly changed on the possibility of women having successful long careers while serving in the infantry. I can say from firsthand experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not just emotion, that we haven’t even begun to analyze and comprehend the gender-specific medical issues and overall physical toll continuous combat operations will have on females.

However, after a tour in Afghanistan when she was at the front lines, conducting combat missions at the tip of the spear, the toll was too much.

By the fifth month into the deployment, I had muscle atrophy in my thighs that was causing me to constantly trip and my legs to buckle with the slightest grade change. My agility during firefights and mobility on and off vehicles and perimeter walls was seriously hindering my response time and overall capability. It was evident that stress and muscular deterioration was affecting everyone regardless of gender; however, the rate of my deterioration was noticeably faster than that of male Marines and further compounded by gender-specific medical conditions. At the end of the 7-month deployment, and the construction of 18 PBs later, I had lost 17 pounds and was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (which personally resulted in infertility, but is not a genetic trend in my family), which was brought on by the chemical and physical changes endured during deployment. Regardless of my deteriorating physical stature, I was extremely successful during both of my combat tours, serving beside my infantry brethren and gaining the respect of every unit I supported. Regardless, I can say with 100 percent assurance that despite my accomplishments, there is no way I could endure the physical demands of the infantrymen whom I worked beside as their combat load and constant deployment cycle would leave me facing medical separation long before the option of retirement. I understand that everyone is affected differently; however, I am confident that should the Marine Corps attempt to fully integrate women into the infantry, we as an institution are going to experience a colossal increase in crippling and career-ending medical conditions for females.

Her wrap-up asks some pretty though questions about what's driving the integration agenda.

Which once again leads me, as a ground combat-experienced female Marine Corps officer, to ask, what are we trying to accomplish by attempting to fully integrate women into the infantry? For those who dictate policy, changing the current restrictions associated with women in the infantry may not seem significant to the way the Marine Corps operates. I vehemently disagree; this potential change will rock the foundation of our Corps for the worse and will weaken what has been since 1775 the world’s most lethal fighting force. In the end, for DACOWITS and any other individual or organization looking to increase opportunities for female Marines, I applaud your efforts and say thank you. However, for the long-term health of our female Marines, the Marine Corps, and U.S. national security, steer clear of the Marine infantry community when calling for more opportunities for females. Let’s embrace our differences to further hone in on the Corps’ success instead of dismantling who we are to achieve a political agenda. Regardless of the outcome, we will be “Semper Fidelis” and remain focused on our mission to protect and defend the United States of America.

By: Brant

US Army Gets First Female Deputy Division Commander

The new DCG-S of 1 CAV is BG Laura Richardson.

Thursday marked a pivotal moment in Army history, as the role of women in leadership was forever changed.

Fort Hood's 1st Cavalry Division welcomed the Army's first ever female deputy commanding general of a division.

BG Laura Richardson is giving credit to all women who proudly wear the uniform.

The first round went off at Cooper Field early Thursday, marking the moment GEN she changed history, though she says all women have come a long way.

"It almost doesn't feel like paving the way, because women have been serving in combat, been doing some incredible things in our units and in our Army already, and it just feels like I grew up in a division, and it just feels like this is home to me," she said.

And to make it even more special, the one passing over the reigns is her own husband, BG James Richardson.

He was just as gracious.

"This ceremony is not about Laura and I, it's about the very special people who helped us along the way. We haven't had the help of ordinary men and women, we have had the help and served in the company of heroes," he said.

By: Brant

The Royal Navy's First Woman Captain of a Ship

She's taking command of the HMS Portland.

The first woman to command a major Royal Navy warship is taking up her post.
Britain's Ministry of Defense says Commander Sarah West will take control of the frigate HMS Portland Tuesday.
The 40-year-old has served in the Royal Navy for 16 years.
The ship is being refitted and will be based in Devonport.
Officials say women first went to sea with the Royal Navy in 1990 and have served as pilots and mine clearance divers in addition to other posts.

The home page of the HMS Portland.

HMS Portland is currently in an upkeep period at Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard undergoing an upgrade and maintenance programme, including some significant upgrades and improvements to maintain the ship at peak effectiveness. Among the upgrades that Portland will receive during this substantial refit are the new DNA(2) Command System (key to the ship's fighting capability against air, surface and underwater threats); the new Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)), enabling information sharing and collaborative working across the defence sector network; the fit of Sonar 2087 (the tactical variable depth active and passive anti-submarine warfare (ASW) system), the SeaWolf mid-life update (SWMLU) comprising tracking, guidance and weapon management upgrades to counter evolving anti-ship missile threats; the 4.5 Mk8 Mod1 gun replacement; and new 30mm automatic gun fit.HMS Portland has spent most of 2011 in UK waters providing a platform to allow the crucial training of future Principle Warfare Officers, Navigators and Aircrew.

HMS Portland is scheduled to leave Rosyth for sea trials in autumn 2012 before returning to her home port of Devonport prior to Christmas.

HMS Portland spent most of 2011 conducting maritime security of UK waters and providing a platform to allow the crucial training of future Principle Warfare Officers, Navigators and Aircrew.

By: Brant

USMC To Send Women to Infantry School

The Commandant of the Marine Corps has said that they are sending women to attend infantry school.

The Marine Corps school that produces infantry combat officers will enroll its first-ever female students this year, Marine Corps Times has learned.

As part of the service’s extensive research campaign to determine what additional jobs could be opened to women, an undetermined number of volunteers will attend the Infantry Officers Course in Quantico, Va., said Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Corps’ assistant commandant. There, Marine officers are groomed to serve in direct combat roles and lead troops into battle.

“We are in the process right now of soliciting volunteers,” Dunford said on Wednesday.

It’s a monumental — if controversial — move for the Marine Corps, which until now barred female Marines from the program and required instead that they attend other courses aimed at preparing them for assignments in support roles such as logistics, personnel administration and aircraft maintenance, among others.

Soon, enlisted women also will have an opportunity to attend infantry training, Dunford said. Marine officials are developing plans to assign female Marines to the Corps’ Infantry Training Battalions, which fall under the Schools of the Infantry.

Officials don’t yet know how many women — officer or enlisted — will be put into the academic pipeline for the Corps’ “03” infantry occupational code, Dunford said. All will be volunteers — and it remains to be seen how many will answer the call, he said.

It’s not immediately clear either what the next steps will be for those women who successfully complete the Corps’ infantry training programs. Marine officials at Quantico, who have led the service’s effort to explore lifting restrictions on women in combat, said these details are finalized, but declined to discuss them pending an official unveiling in the coming days.

The Marine Corps’ top general, Commandant Gen. Jim Amos, traveled Wednesday to Camp Lejeune, N.C., where among other business he was expected to meet with Marines and explain the service’s plans for expanding women’s career opportunities, Dunford said. Amos was joined by his senior enlisted adviser, Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett.

Wow. What do y'all think? Good idea? Bad idea? Dumb idea? Great idea?

By: Brant

Sigh... Some People

Apparently there's a Fox News pundit who thinks that sexual assault in the military is pre-ordained and that Congress is making the problem worse.

Trotta was reacting to news that the military will allow women to work closer to the front lines. Speaking to Fox News host Eric Shawn, she alleged that feminists wanted "to be warriors and victims at the same time."

She cited a recent Pentagon report that sex crimes committed by army personnel have increased by 64% over the past six years. Then she made a startling statement:

"I think they have actually discovered there is a difference between men and women. And the sexual abuse report says that there has been, since 2006, a 64% increase in violent sexual assaults. Now, what did they expect? These people are in close contact, the whole airing of this issue has never been done by Congress, it's strictly been a question of pressure from the feminists."

Trotta also alleged that "feminists" have demanded too much money to fund programs for sexual abuse victims. "You have this whole bureaucracy upon bureaucracy being built up with all kinds of levels of people to support women in the military who are now being raped too much," she said

By: Brant

Monday Video: Balkan Battle Babes

An estrogen-infused BANG. If you mind, you're probably reading the wrong blog.




By: Brant

DoD Announces Changes to Policy on Women in Combat

They've been discussed, and long-rumored for some time. But the DoD has finally announce the changes to their policies on women in combat, opening up more positions for them, but stopping short of opening them all.

The Defense Department announced today changes to its assignment policy which will result in 14,325 additional positions being opened to women.

“Women are contributing in unprecedented ways to the military’s mission. Through their courage, sacrifice, patriotism and great skill, women have proven their ability to serve in an expanding number of roles on and off the battlefield,” Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said. “We will continue to open as many positions as possible to women so that anyone qualified to serve can have the opportunity to do so.”

In a report required by the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, the department notified Congress today it intends to make two changes to rules in place since 1994 governing the service of female members of the armed forces: first, occupations will no longer be closed to women solely because the positions are required to be co-located with ground combat units; and second, a sizable number of positions will be opened to women at the battalion level in select direct ground combat units in specific occupations. The services also will continuously assess their experience with these changes to help determine future changes to the 1994 rules.

“The services will continue to review positions and requirements to determine what additional positions may be opened, ensuring the mission is met with the best qualified and most capable, regardless of gender,” Panetta said.

The 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule articulated five basic elements informing decisions on the service of women in the military: direct ground combat; berthing and privacy; co-location; long range reconnaissance and special operations forces; and physically demanding tasks.

The 1994 DoD policy allowed women to be restricted from some occupational specialties if those specialties were physically co-located with direct ground combat units. Because the modern-day battlefield is non-linear and fluid, with no clearly defined front line or safer rear area, combat support operations are dispersed throughout the battlespace. Removal of the co-location exclusion will result in 13,139 Army positions being opened to women, in specialties such as tank mechanic and field artillery radar operator.

Additionally, the 1994 policy prohibited women from being assigned below brigade level to units whose principal mission was to engage in combat. The Army, Marines and Navy have been granted exceptions to policy to allow select positions at the battalion level in specialties already open to women, opening 1,186 additional positions. These exceptions to policy will help the services assess the suitability and relevance of the direct ground combat unit assignment prohibition, and inform future policy decisions.

Regarding other policy restrictions, 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. Building upon analysis and experience, the services will develop gender-neutral physical standards for use by all members.

“Gender-neutral physical standards ensure all members can meet the physical demands of the duties they are assigned,” acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jo Ann Rooney said, “ultimately contributing to higher states of readiness through an increased understanding of the demands we place upon our members and by preventing injuries.”

Panetta directed the services to update him in six months on assignment policy implementation and the progress made developing gender-neutral physical standards.

As required by law, these changes to policy will take effect after 30 days of continuous session of Congress, which is expected to occur later this spring.

The report can be viewed at http://www.defense.gov/news/WISR_Report_to_Congress.pdf .

What do the readers think? Good idea? Bad idea?
What about the idea - buried waaaaay down in the news release - that they are developing gender-neutral physical fitness standards?
How much of an impact on these decisions are the recent non-linear battlefields, and how might this have (not) changed if we were fighting a more linear "WWII" type of scenario?


By: Brant

GI Jane, er... What's "Jane" in Spanish...?

Mexico' Navy has their first female in their special forces.

Mexico's navy says the first woman has joined the ranks of its special forces.
The unidentified woman graduated from special forces training along with 12 men.
The navy is giving no other details and doesn't say in its Friday announcement if women had previously been barred from joining its special forces units, or whether none had applied.
The navy's special forces have taken an increasing role in the Mexican government's fight against drug traffickers, but the navy hasn't specified what duties the woman will be performing.

So what's the "Mexican Navy Special Forces"? Here's what Wikipedia knows about the "Fuerzas Especiales".

By: Brant

Monday Video: Women in the Military

Kick off your week with a nice photo montage BANG! of some women in uniform from around the globe.



By: Brant

Women in Combat for Australia

The Australian military is opening frontline combat roles to women

Australia opened frontline combat roles to women for the first time in its history under a new policy allowing all military positions to be filled on merit rather than gender.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith on Tuesday said the changes, approved by the cabinet on Monday night, would give women access to the seven percent of military roles currently restricted to men.
Only three of Australia's military partners allow women on the frontlines -- New Zealand, Canada and Israel, Smith said.
The new policy will be phased in over five years to ensure that female combatants had the necessary training and preparation, he added, describing it as a major cultural and operational shift.
"From this day forward... no combat roles, no frontline role will be excluded from an Australian on the basis of his or her sex, it will be open to anyone to apply on the basis of merit," Smith told reporters.
"This is a significant and major cultural change."
But opponents of the move condemned it as a "political gimmick and a distraction".
Women currently account for about 10,000 of the 81,000 full- and part-time positions in Australia's armed forces, with the newly open roles mainly as frontline infantry and artillery soldiers, naval clearance divers and airfield guards.
Widely supported by military chiefs, Smith said the changes would not prescribe female ratios for frontline positions and it was "entirely a matter for the men and women of the defence force to put their names forward for a particular role".

Here's the kicker that'll make it work:

New guidelines will be developed outlining the physical and mental requirements for elite jobs and both men and women would have to satisfy them.

By: Brant

Lock Up Your Women, the Royal Navy is... Oh. Uh, Never Mind...

The Royal Navy has appointed their first female warship commander.

The Royal Navy has appointed a woman to command a frigate for the first time.

Lieutenant Commander Sarah West, 39, will take command of HMS Portland in April 2012. She has previously commanded four minehunters.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said Lt Cdr West would complete a commanding officer designate course before taking up the position.

Women have been able to serve in the Royal Navy since 1994 and now make up just under 10% of the force.

They remain barred from some areas of service, such as the Royal Marine Commandos.

Lt Cdr West's previous naval experience has included serving in the Gulf.

h/t MM

By: Brant

USAction! Spotter

U.S. Army Spc. Kathryn Fish coaches a fellow soldier during a leader development program at Camp Taji, Iraq, on Nov. 17, 2010. The academy was formed by senior enlisted leaders of the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division in order to mentor young and future leaders and prepare them for professional development courses. DoD photo by Spc. Roland Hale, U.S. Army. (Released)

Photo from US DoD

By: Brant

Attitudes Shifting on Women in Combat

Looks like the US public is changing their attitude about women in combat.

Americans strongly support allowing women in uniform to serve in combat, despite US military rules that ban women from combat units, a new poll showed on Thursday.
The Quinnipac University Polling Institute's survey said 67 percent of voters favored permitting women "to serve in ground units that engage in close combat" with 29 percent opposed.
Both male and female voters backed the change by similar margins, with support strongest among younger Americans, according to the poll, carried out March 22-28.
Among voters 18 to 34 years old, the poll showed support for lifting the ban at 81 percent, while Americans over the age of 55 backed the change 55-38 percent.
"Americans have become accustomed to women in the armed forces, and apparently are ready for them to serve in combat units. It will be interesting to see how the public feels if, God forbid, there is combat with large numbers of women casualties," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement.

By: Brant

Monday Video: You're Welcome

Here's a serious Monday Video BANG for you: The Girls of the IDF. You're welcome.



Someone - anyone - PLEASE nominate your own videos in the comments below for future inclusion


By: Brant

Monday Video: The Women of the PLA

Starting your week off with an Asian BANG...

The women of the PLA



ignore the one with the Korean flag patch. sigh.

Someone - anyone - PLEASE nominate your own videos in the comments below for future inclusion



By: Brant

US Female Four-Star Sets Example for Afghans

GEN Dunwoody is over in Afghanistan meeting with female Afghan soldiers.

Gen. Ann Dunwoody, the commander of U.S. Army Materiel Command, met with her female Afghan counterparts during a women’s roundtable event hosted at the U.S. Embassy here Sept. 29.

The event was one of several the general attended during her visit to Afghanistan to engage senior leaders and to share capabilities of the Materiel Enterprise.

Several female representatives from Coalition forces attended the event, as well as approximately 15 Afghan women, including the Ministry of the Interior’s Afghan National Police Chief of Gender Department, the female contingent for the Afghan Border Police and the head of women’s police training for the Kabul Police Academy.

By: Brant

SecDef Speaks About Present, Future

In his speech at Duke University, Secretary Gates discussed the strains of war faced by the military:

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned on Wednesday that nearly a decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has heightened trends that could ultimately alienate the all-volunteer military from the society it defends.

Gates, in a speech at Duke University, said U.S. military officers and recruits are increasingly drawn from rural and small-town areas of the South and Mountain West, a shift that could divide them politically and culturally from largely urban America.

He also noted that fewer than 1 percent of the U.S. population had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan during America's longest period of continuous combat, leaving the wars largely an abstraction for most and further exacerbating the divide between the military and the rest of society.

"With each passing decade, fewer and fewer Americans know someone with military experience in their family or social circle," Gates said, citing a study showing that the share of 18-year-olds with a veteran parent had fallen from 40 percent in 1988 to 18 percent by 2000.

He also slipped in a remark about women eventually serving in the special ops community:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he foresaw a day when the military would lift its ban on women serving in elite special forces.

Although military rules bar women from ground combat, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have thrust female troops into firefights and forced US commanders to review the policy.

Gates said he expected the prohibition against women in US Special Operations forces would be phased out in a deliberate manner similar to the way women have been allowed to serve on submarines since earlier this year.

"It will happen, but it will happen in the same very careful way that women in submarines is being done," Gates told an audience of students enrolled in reserve officer training in North Carolina.

As a first step, female officers are being assigned to larger Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarines.

The larger vessels make it easier to accommodate female crew members, and each team of women includes a more senior female officer who serves as a "mentor," Gates said.

"My guess is at some point... there'll be a careful step in that direction with Special Operations forces," he said.

By: Brant

Women In Uniform: Three's Company

A Soldier, a sailor, and an air(wo)man walk into a bar...




Image: UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7