Janie, Get Your GunFollow

So this is news to me that this was even being seriously discussed...

Does this also mean women need to sign up for the draft?

What he said.

http://www.army.mil/article/85606/

Because 38 years of service is fast tracking it.

Woah, wait a minute. You guys don't allow women to fight in your military? You're joking right?

Define fight...

SpoilerThey've not been allowed into traditionally front line combat roles, basically everything else was open.

Because their current restrictions from direct combat roles is "balanced" (in theory) by not placing such a requirement on mid/high tier advancement. It's much easier for a female officer to obtain the rank of Major or Colonel by following a non-combat track than a male officer, for example. Obviously, part of that also comes from the fact that there are far fewer women in the military as a whole and there's a push (again mostly in non-combat, but high profile/political positions) for more visibility of female officers. If you don't think there are aspects of affirmative action going on in the military (especially at the Pentagon), you are terribly deluded.

I'm not claiming that those women who hold those ranks are not qualified for them or do not deserve them. What I am saying is that there is less direct competition for those positions and ranks if you are a woman than if you are a man. Put another way, an extremely capable female officer is likely to be one of only a few such extremely capable female officers in consideration for a given position (with presumed good advancement potential), while an equally capable male officer might be one of several hundred similarly capable male officers in consideration for an equivalent position with equivalent advancement potential.

Right now the one advantage men do have is that combat experience tends to open up tracks of advancement (and some high rank positions) that are not available via a non-combat track. This is why I applaud this idea (and have for as long as I've posted here certainly). By eliminating this restriction, then we can eliminate the current messed up imbalanced system and allow both sexes to compete and work together as equals. But at the same time, we have to eliminate even the hint or suggestion that some favoritism may go on (in either direction). I think we can all agree that we want our military personnel to be advanced based on completely equal consideration of their abilities and without any consideration of their gender. That's currently not the case.

So a step in the right direction, one can hope.

'Bout time.

And I agree with gbaji that everything else needs to be the same as well, though I have no idea how much of his assessment concerning advancement is true.

I'll do you one better. I'll tell you that the only difference between male and female assessments is during the yearly required Army Physical Fitness Test where females have lower requirements across the board, and I'll also tell you that the APFT means about as much to a promotion as your ability to breathe is a requirement for you to get promoted. Yes, it's necessary you can do it, but your ability to somehow do it better doesn't really matter.

And now give it a few and you'll be told how what I just said is wrong because I'm biased and just can't see it.

Edited, Jan 23rd 2013 7:06pm by lolgaxe

What's this "board" you speak of? I kid, I kid...



I agree with the lift only IF the woman has the option to serve in the said position. The lift would cause more harm than good if women are forced into certain combat arms with no say in the factor.




I believe sit ups are the same. Other than that, a man's "180" is a woman's "300" on the APFT.

I would have to agree with LolGaxe with enlisted promotions, at least up to E6. If the people on the board like you, you're in. Favoritism is rapid in the Army. From what I hear, the Air Force does it right where promotions are done by their skill levels in reference to their job and not how well they can recite a creed or run 2 miles.

Then we'd be short people to clean the toilets at the end of the day.

Corporals imply leadership, aka losing the "sham shield".