Sunday, February 14, 2016

Women in Combat Units

Women and the Draft. There was a time when 366 table tennis balls determined the fate of young male Americans each year. Those old enough will remember that this was a time when young men learned if they were to go off to military training and possibly end up in Vietnam or if they would stay at home to go to college, get married, enter the work force, or hang out on the beach. I was one of the last group of young men that participated in the draft lottery and was fortunate to receive the draft number of "312" - too high a number to be drafted. However, I wanted to serve so I enlisted in the Army. The draft is no longer needed as we have switched to "The All Volunteer Army" - paying military members a decent wage and providing long-term career opportunities that are almost competitive with those found in civilian life. With the social experimentation now ongoing (women being integrated into combat units and training) now is the time to reward equal opportunity with equal responsibility. Read more in "Draft Registration for Women Would Stir a Sleepy Government Agency"The New York Times, February 7, 2016.

Draft Them! Amy Schafer, a Research Assistant for the Center for a New American Security says "Of Course Women Should Register for the Draft", War on the Rocks, February 12, 2016.

How Do Women Feel on Draft? Not so Much! A recent polls says that 52 percent of women oppose requiring women to register, while 38 percent favor it and 10 percent are undecided. 61 percent of men thought it was a most excellent idea! Read more in "Poll: Most women oppose registering for draft", The Hill Defense Blog, February 10, 2016.

Women in Combat - a Big Shift. Shawn Snow writes that the "Military's move toward women in combat signals a major paradigm shift", Navy Times, February 7, 2016. Citing the need for qualified personnel to fill high-tech roles within the military Snow believes the military is on the right track in recruiting women for combat jobs.

RAND Studies on Women & Combat. A bunch of reports by RAND Corporation on the integration of women into combat units. (The RAND Blog, Feb 2016).

Women and Open Questions. With the military opening all jobs to women there is a lot of uncertainty circulating. Two big issues are 1) will standards be lowered (reducing the effectiveness of the fighting force) and 2) will military leaders (and rank and file) be accepting of the new policy. Read more in "Questions, frustration as women prepare to join combat units", Military Times, February 10, 2016.

Women and SEALs - Some Realities. A writer lists "The Top 10 Realities the First Female Navy SEAL Trainee Will Face", SOFREP, February 8, 2016.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.