Congressional commission studies women in combat

News > Congressional commission studies women in combat

Photos


Capt. Angela Kimler, 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron pilot, conducts post-flight operations on a C-17 Globemaster III at an air base in Southwest Asia March 10, 2010. Captain Kimler was the aircraft commander during a flight with an all-female crew deployed from the 14th Airlift Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. A congressionally mandated committee has been evaluating and assessing the role of women in combat. Their report is due in March. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kasey Zickmund)
Download HiRes

Related Links
• Military Leadership Diversity Commission

Congressional commission studies women in combat

Posted 1/14/2011

Email story Print story

by Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

1/14/2011 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Defense Department officials will review the recommendations of a congressional commission studying the role of women in combat when the group's report is complete, a DOD official said Jan. 14.

Congress established the Military Leadership Diversity Commission as part of the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act. The commission's task is to evaluate and assess policies that provide opportunities for promotion and advancement of minority members of the armed forces.

The commission's report, expected in March, will include the findings and conclusions of the commission as well as its recommendations for improving diversity within the armed forces.

"DOD will look at the recommendation and go from there," Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan said. "We'll see what the nature of the report is when it's done."

Congress repealed the combat exclusion laws in the January 1994 National Defense Authorization Act, but requires the services to submit proposed changes to existing assignment policy to Congress for review, Colonel Lapan said.

"For example, when the Navy recently changed its policy to enable women to serve on submarines, that would go through that process," he said. "So the Navy would have to inform Congress it was going to make a change."

The Marine Corps also triggered congressional review when it opened some intelligence positions to women, Colonel Lapan said, but female Marines serving on engagement teams in Afghanistan are in line with department policy on women's assignments.

Colonel Lapan said the U.S. military currently prohibits women from serving in combat units below the brigade level. The Marine women on engagement teams are not assigned to combat units, but are augmenting them for a specific mission, he said.

"Part of the reason to do that was because the infantry battalions that were out there didn't have any women, because they couldn't," he explained.

Women make up 14.6 percent of the active duty military. By service, the percentage ranges from 7.5 percent in the Marine Corps to 19.2 percent in the Air Force, according to statistics compiled by the Women in Military Service for America Foundation.

Comments

1/31/2011 3:14:05 PM ET
AFTruckerI don't doubt that some women can do what men can do. I am just saying if you want equal rights then every thing should be equal. The military is no joke when it comes to combat missions. You never know what you may need to do. let women seve in combat at any age.

Smoker, AZ

1/20/2011 9:13:55 AM ET
Point taken Trucker. Thanks for all you do.

Chris Kimball, Louisiana

1/19/2011 10:11:44 PM ET
@ to the horse and Chris I understand and completely agree with your points. It IS different. My point was to smoker who said that the men have to pick up the slack on females which is not the case all the time. Like USAFE said some women will punch you in the jaw if you offer to help. There are some of us who are willing to put our money where our mouth is and pursue it. You guys are right there is a vast difference in what we do on the roads and humping it in mountains with your gear on your back. I never said that I did that nor will I pretend to know what its like. I know from my experiences that what we do on the road and the expierences weve had we can hang with the best of them on the road. We do see combat out there. Not what yall see but we do see it. That was my point and thats what I was getting at.

AFTrucker, NY

1/19/2011 10:49:37 AM ET
What's with the photo? At least have a female in kevlar and body armor when the title is "women in combat"

John G, Langley

1/18/2011 4:08:43 PM ET
The only way to make sure women aren't in combat is to deny women the opportunity to serve their country. If we're not ready to go to that extreme I have a hard time seeing why they shouldn't be allowed to serve in combat roles.

PB, US

1/18/2011 3:07:19 PM ET
Check your facts LRRPARA. Israel does not allow womem in combat not since 1950 and especially not in operator roles. Canadians do allow women in combat but on a highly limited basis and also not operators. In the Canadian military, they are allowed to fill positions similar to Army Infantry.

Chris Kimball, Louisiana

1/18/2011 10:08:43 AM ET
When restrictions on women in combat are lifted then there needs to be some other changes as well. They shouldn't be allowed to opt in. They should be treated EXACTLY the same as men. You sign up, you don't get to opt out of combat. Also starting the day the restrictions are lifted women ages 18-25 should be treated the same as men. They need to register for the draft and if they don't register then they suffer the same consequences. No double standard. You cannot have it both ways. I myself don't see a problem lifting the restrictions on women in combat, but the other must happen as well.

Jerry, Oklahoma

1/17/2011 7:16:58 PM ET
Canada and Israel have women in combat units as operators. Our own country employed them behind enemy lines in the OSS in Europe. A husband and wife team died jumping into Europe for the OSS. Our narrow minded attitudes do their spirits disservice.

LRRPPARA, MI.

1/17/2011 6:46:50 PM ET
I came in to do SpcOps but turned out I can't because of color vison. We have technology to make us invisible from radar but we don't have any technology to fix this color vision or just change a few colors around and eliminate it all together. I then couldn't do the network job I wanted because I didn''t score high enough on my asvab. Even though I already have my Net A and my CCNA...I got those in my vocational high school - but apparently i'm not AF smart enough to do the job. And i've never had a problem doing wiring before I had an internship in high school where I wired this one brade of 50 color coated wires and I had NO problem with it.

Alex, Guam

1/17/2011 2:03:04 PM ET
To AFTrucker and any other women aspiring to conduct special operations in the U.S. Military. I'll tell you the same thing I tell people I help prep for BUDS or Army SFAS... go buy and read Lone Survivor and ask if you are prepared to go through what he and his teammates endured all in the name of gender equality. Do you think the tribal clan that found Petty Officer Luttrell and the Taliban who later interrogated him would be as kind to a female operator? Having your cage rattled in a convoy attack which I admit is a very intense event is completely different from humping it through the mountains of the Hindu Kush for a week conducting offensive operations. I know many people want to see a gender blind military but it is my belief that such a thing would come at a great expense to the integrity of current operations and the women who would then be operators.

Chris Kimball, Louisiana

1/17/2011 12:20:29 PM ET
I have met different types in both genders. There are women and men who do not want any part of maintenance and I helped them get into the medical field. But I seen women who would throw a punch to your jaw if you offered to carry their tool box to the flight line maintenance truck. You can not judge everyone the same or as they say The book by the cover. However I think the choice should be there for both genders regardless if its ground pounder hand to hand or maintenance duties. After all it is supposed to be an all volunteer force now so why would they not get the choice to follow their dreams. If they can't pass the test requirements then they should get a suggested alternate career choice.

USAFE Retired, Ohio

1/17/2011 7:01:02 AM ET
@AFTrucker...no one can deny that women don't see combat but being in a convoy and being hit by an IEDRPG etc is different than humping through the Afghan mountains with 60 pounds on your back for days at a time. I have no doubt that you have experienced all the things you say you did in your comment and I commend you on it but it is just different than many of the combat career fields out there.

to the HORSE, Afghan

1/15/2011 9:17:19 PM ET
Smoker- Guess what? We do go to war just like the rest of you men. I am a female combat vet and have proven myself to Infantry Soldiers. We unfortunately are labeled as combat support, but I've been bombed, been in firefights, administered CLS in a hot zone, called a nine line medivac, brought my buddies out to the bird, set up check points, searched vehicles and personel. So before you start assuming that we don't see combat and that we don't fight, think again and know your facts. Give us a chance to prove you and everyone else wrong who think that the men have to pick up our slack. The women of the vehicle operations career field in the AF can handle it. We've been there done it and can handle it.

AFTrucker, NY

1/15/2011 7:26:30 PM ET
To study women in combat implies that you already have women to study that are in combat specialties in the U.S. military. The article goes on to say that they are evaluating policies that provide opportunity for promotion and advancement of minorities. I spent a little time deeper into the commission's website as well. If I were a woman aspiring to one day be a CCT, SEAL or other special operator, I wouldn't hold my breath expecting this commission to recommend that anytime soon. The commission seems to be much more concerned with ethnic and racial minorities as well as the recruitment of persons with critical skills. Look at some of the presentations from past meetings as they do a good job illustrating the intent. Recommendation 9 from the final draft report touches on it... but it doesn't get specific enough to expect that change will be effected in the forseeable future. My guess would be Infantry-like fields might come open within 3-5 years.

Chris Kimball, Louisiana

1/14/2011 4:39:28 PM ET
mmm click on the hyperlink listed in the story the commissioners' names are on that website.

S, CA

1/14/2011 3:36:15 PM ET
If women can serve in the military they should have to go to war just like the rest of us men. We all signed on the dotted line to support and defend the U.S.A.. Don't turn the military into some sexest group. They have it easy when it comes to the fitness test. They do 50 percent less already and most of us men have to pick up the slack. Didn't they do some kind of test like this before?

Smoker, AZ

1/14/2011 2:42:19 PM ET
Who is writing this report Give me names.

mmm, USA

Add a comment

Inside AF.mil

GeneralImagesVideo

View All RSS

Subscribe AF.MIL

More Headlines

Brig. Gen. Witham nominated as ANG deputy director

AFPC Airman: Don't forget, they're not all home

Muncy Honored With Second Highest Private Citizen Award

AF nominates AFMC, AFSPC civilians for DOD award

Air Force medical treatment facilities not involved in multi-state meningitis outbreak

Hundreds on October supplemental promotion list

Construction of second runway continues at Osan, South Korea  |  VIDEO

Air Force Week in Photos

'Vortex surfing' could be revolutionary  1

Tail swap enables Afghan mission support and humanitarian effort

Fort Smith ANG Airmen Head Home   |  VIDEO

1952 C-124 crash descendant finds closure in Alaska  1

AFPC officials grant CMS access to additional PERSCO teams

Cape Cod wind turbines help Air Force top DOD energy goals

Commentary

Standards? What standards? 3

First things first: Get your degrees in order 34