Author Topic: Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order  (Read 1368 times)

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Offline mystery-ak

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Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order
« on: January 24, 2013, 08:36:12 pm »
Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order
Jim Michaels, USA TODAY2:40p.m. EST January 24, 2013

WASHINGTON - The military will not need to lower its physical standards as it opens direct combat jobs to women, senior military officials said Thursday.

The new order by the Pentagon, issued Wednesday, will open as many as 237,000 new jobs to women.

But military officials said the occupations, such as infantry and artillery, have exacting physical requirements that will not be altered.

The military has different physical standards at Army and Marine basic training. But for those trying to get into the infantry and other combat arms specialties the standards for men and women would be the same.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/01/24/women-in-combat-briefing/1861887/
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Offline Cincinnatus

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Re: Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2013, 08:40:53 pm »
Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order

For now.
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Re: Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2013, 08:46:07 pm »
Unless they can find some East German female shot putters, that may be difficult. As C. implied, the standards simply will just have to be changed, in the interest of fairness.
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Offline Cincinnatus

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Re: Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2013, 08:51:32 pm »
...the standards simply will just have to be changed, in the interest of fairness.

Somehow applying the same standards will be found to be discriminatory.
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Offline PzLdr

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Re: Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2013, 05:04:36 am »
"Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order"

And they will. Once they lower the standards so women can pass. Saw it back in the day. We did 25 pushups, they did 15-from the knees. We ran a mile in boots in 8 or 10 minutes. they did it in 15 in sneakers. And because they threw like girls, they ditched the grenade throw from the PT test. And since most of them are built like girls, they threw out the man carry, too.

In the military, the mission MUST be accomplished  :whistle:. So if Panetta says women will succeed in combat roles, they will  :pondering:. Just ask Kara Hultgren.  13859   
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Re: Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2013, 02:01:03 pm »
Quote
In the military, the mission MUST be accomplished 
Which is why, under Obama, the mission has and will be changed substantially - and it won't have anything to do with defending America's interests or preserving freedom.
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Re: Women must meet same physical standards as men under new order
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2013, 02:24:20 pm »
Former military officer Ralph Peters writes:

Sergeant rock-ette
Women are already in combat
By RALPH PETERS
Last Updated: 10:57 PM, January 24, 2013
New York Post

Listen up, men at arms: Stop whining. You sound like a bunch of girls.

Our military is not going to collapse because more combat-related jobs will be opened to women. I’ve heard instant griping from old vets and talk-show pundits since this story broke, but the fact is that the gals with guns are already in the fight to a far greater extent than yesteryear’s rules foresaw. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s decision largely recognizes existing reality.

Anyway, it’s going to happen, like it or not.

So those of us who care about our military and its combat effectiveness need to stop wailing and start working to make sure the admission of women to more combat-focused military specialties is done right.
 
Because there is one serious danger, as well as a number of lesser concerns, that could do real damage if we screw this up.

First, it’s essential that physical standards not be lowered to allow women to qualify for point-of-the-bayonet positions. And not all of the women who apply will measure up.

Some of our trigger-pullers hump 120 pounds as they scale those Afghan ridges. You can’t give some soldiers a special dispensation to carry half that weight, or the other members of the squad or team have to lug even more. Want fairness? Start here.

The integration of women into our military to date has been overwhelmingly positive, but there have been undeniable downsides that we should learn from. One example: When the Army integrated basic training a generation ago, physical requirements were lowered for everybody (we pretended otherwise). We now have the chubbiest, tubbiest military since Sgt. Bilko. Physical toughness should be requirement No. 1 for every soldier or Marine.

(The gender integration of basic training also destroyed the folk-poetry tradition of magnificently obscene, hilariously inventive marching and running cadences — political correctness killed those wonderful “jodies.”)

On the other hand, the Neanderthals among us have to recognize that more than a few women in uniform have not only participated in combat, but performed heroically. In the Military Police Corps, convoy escort duty often led to ambushes and firefights in Iraq. No-nonsense female NCOs won medals for bravery leading men in combat.

What ultimately matters is who can fight. This can’t be about gender above all. It has to be competence-driven.

Which brings us to another potential problem: Our military already has barely disguised promotion quotas for women and minorities. And while our military should be (and long has been) about equal opportunity, it suffers when used for politically driven affirmative action.

Not only do promotions made for the sake of political correctness cheat competent soldiers, they also cast an unfair shadow over the many first-rate officers and NCOs who just happen to be women or minorities. Nor should we prolong a system in which a male soldier is fired and gone, but a female soldier has recourse to endless protests. That’s not fairness — that’s bigotry.

A last issue is that activists who want the world their way demand impossibly perfect behavior from those in uniform. Sorry: If you put physically rambunctious young people in prolonged intimate proximity to one another during their peak years of sexual energy, the platoon isn’t going to pass for a Baptist seminary. Sexual abuse cannot be tolerated, but we do have to show some understanding for stupidity and oafishness among 19-year-olds.

And the guy isn’t automatically the guilty party.

Back to the first point: Don’t lower standards, physical or ethical. If standards are maintained with rigor, the force will be OK. The services have until 2016 to pound out the details. Senior generals and admirals will have to show some backbone on this issue — and backbone hasn’t been their salient characteristic in recent years.

Who’s going to be disappointed? Some women will measure up, while others will do their best and fail (as men do). But the truly crestfallen are apt to be the activists who expect women to flock to combat-related positions in huge numbers.

They won’t. Surveys of military women show that, although dedicated, they don’t long to join the Infantry.

But to that GI Jane who proves she can hump her own gear plus the mortar base plate: You go, girl.

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