US to open frontline combat roles to women

[AllanB]

I bet you would let off a round or two over this one ......

[The Lone Rider]

Talked to my brother about this not that long ago.

We both don't give a crap if women want to die for their country. The only real thing we both felt was, as long as the bar wasn't dropped so that women could get those positions, we don't care. Couldn't think of anything less equal then, for example, making fitness & strength requirements lower for women. They should get no special treatment.


I feel the same about some other peoples in society to.

[Swoop]

woof woof (+10)

Lord Flasheart agrees wholeheartedly!

[superjackal]

Going from memory, in order to score high on their PT, men have to do something like 60+ Pullups. It's like, 10 for women.

I think your memory fails you. There wouldn't be many people in the world that could do 60 pulls ups. At least, 60 in a row...

[Zedder]

Wouldn't work if the other side were not interested...

..."Hey boys..where ya white women at?"

"Behind you Homes..."

[Zedder]

American women allowed in combat roles now? Big deal, the Russians had 'em in WW1, the 1st Russian Womens' Battalion of Death it was called. I kid you not.

Incidently, the Israelis have found having women in combat had a previously unaccounted for profound psychological affect on male soldiers who "went to pieces" when they saw women wounded let alone killed.

[007XX]

Only 30?
A modern LBV with body armour you are looking at a minimum of 14kg just there.
A mate humps that, plus 8 x 30rd mags, 6 mags for the 226 + 1 on the thigh holster. Add on water, comms, frag and smoke grenades...

Get an "interesting" op and that goes up considerably.

Then you get to the backpack...


They are doing it in stiletto heels?

Thats cos you boys are shit at packing

Seriously though, I am fully aware of the physical limitations of being a woman. However, I am greatly in doubt as to whether said limitations are judged fairly when they are determined from a male's point of view. It is not a new concept that machismo is well and truly present amongst the armed forces, and how much of the justificatives used to abstain from allowing females amongst men on the front lines were actually based on facts rather than male fragile ego is still to be determined, don't you think?

You cannot paint every female with the same brush, we're not all wallflowers panting for a new pair of Manolo Blanicks for goodness sake's. In the same light as not all men are cock proud, pig headed egotistical cretins solely led by their testosterone.

YES. Average walking speed for a human is about 5ks per hour ... so 20 mins for 1.6ks is only walking speed ... (5kph = 12 mins per k so 1.6 ks = 12x1.6= 19.2 minutes)

Maybe the women take 20 mins to do 1.6ks because they window shop as they go? (but seriously Glowerss .. it's a bullshit suggestion)

Precisely... And I fucking hate shopping.

That's just in the door. Eventually the'll expect you to do it in fatigues, a helmet, and carrying 30kg of ballast in your back pack. After having humped 25km the day prior.

And yes again, we know. But who is to say that a woman is not capable of that? Cue my reply above to Swoop. Plus, water and food requirements would be calculated on body weight's requirements, so wouldn't they be lighter for a woman? Plenty of women run marathon, triathlons, are heavy lifters, etc

Why would it be that being a woman makes you supposedly incapable to pull your own weight and then some?

That's just horseshit on a stick. I wish I had the time to hunt stats on a female's ability to sharp shoot, think better under pressure, deal with confrontation in a more rational way...

Summing it up fairly: yes, men are better at some things, but so are females. So why should our defending forces be deprived from either of those sources of awesomness. We need to use all we can to defend our countries.

[FJRider]

YES. Average walking speed for a human is about 5ks per hour ... so 20 mins for 1.6ks is only walking speed ... (5kph = 12 mins per k so 1.6 ks = 12x1.6= 19.2 minutes)

Maybe the women take 20 mins to do 1.6ks because they window shop as they go? (but seriously Glowerss .. it's a bullshit suggestion)

When I was a lad ... the average walking pace was 4 miles an hour.

Average running speed was 8 miles an hour.

The Required fitness level test (Army) required 2 miles run in 12 minutes. (my best time was 10:35)

Patrol pace (walking speed in combat conditions) was about 1 km/hr


When you join the forces ... you have to forget all you previously learned. THEY teach you again ALL they want you to know ... and how THEY want you to do it.

[007XX]

I found the original article on Reddit.com ( I loooove that place!)

Anyway, here is a link to the ensuing posts... Some very interesting insights from the interested themselves.

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/co..._roles_should/

[imdying]

who is to say that a woman is not capable of that?

There is no need for anyone to say that, the truth of if can be determined via testing. IMO any person that can pass the tests should be allowed to die for their country if she's stupid enough to desire that. Those tests should be the same for both men and women; they're both just faceless cannon fodder dying for whatever those in power thinks it appropriate.

[007XX]

There is no need for anyone to say that, the truth of if can be determined via testing. IMO any person that can pass the tests should be allowed to die for their country if she's stupid enough to desire that. Those tests should be the same for both men and women; they're both just faceless cannon fodder dying for whatever those in power thinks it appropriate.

It's those canon fodder that allows for you to sleep peacefully at night without a gun to your head, or to be forced to pray several times a day to Allah.

Have a little respect.

[FJRider]

It's those canon fodder that allows for you to sleep peacefully at night without a gun to your head, or to be forced to pray several times a day to Allah.

Have a little respect.

To be precise ... it is THAT cannon fodder that allows him to speak as freely as he does.

The weapons may change. But the Men and Women that use them remain the same. Human.

[imdying]

Respect? For people that kill other people? Over oil and land? Religion? Surely you jest?

Just because it's sanctioned by the law doesn't make it any less than murder. Even the powers that be recognise that; look at their ridiculous 'rules' for war. What a bunch of two faced little bitches... if it's justifiable enough to go and kill other people, then it's justifiable enough to use chemical weapons and cluster bombs.

If people want to be little pawns, they can go for it, but there is nothing there to respect.

[imdying]

To be precise ... it is THAT cannon fodder that allows him to speak as freely as he does.

Ha! We wish... It's the people pulling their strings that allow that. If it ceases to be useful for us to have freedom, you can bet your bottom dollar they'll take that away when it suits.

[007XX]

To be precise ... it is THAT cannon fodder that allows him to speak as freely as he does.

The weapons may change. But the Men and Women that use them remain the same. Human.

Shush you... My engrish go to shite when i'z annoyed. So sue me.

Respect? For people that kill other people? Over oil and land? Religion? Surely you jest?

Just because it's sanctioned by the law doesn't make it any less than murder. Even the powers that be recognise that; look at their ridiculous 'rules' for war. What a bunch of two faced little bitches... if it's justifiable enough to go and kill other people, then it's justifiable enough to use chemical weapons and cluster bombs.

If people want to be little pawns, they can go for it, but there is nothing there to respect.

How about you go live somewhere like the Congo or Niger then where armed forces and powers that be are truly only after their own interest and see if you like it.

I don't deny that wars are mostly driven by greed and the political interest of the day.

But what I am saying is that the people who enlist to put their lives on the line are driven to defend their country and its inhabitants ( aka: you and I) against possible threats and THAT DESERVES RESPECT.

So I take it you don't wear a poppy on Anzac Day uh?