403
Sorry!!
Error! We're sorry, but the page you were looking for doesn't exist.
US to open combat jobs to women
(MENAFN- Arab News) WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Ash Carter has ordered the military to open all military jobs to women including the most dangerous commando posts removing the final barriers that kept women from serving in combat.
The historic decision Thursday is a formal recognition that thousands of women have fought and many were wounded or killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But it's uncertain how many will actually want to compete for some of the more grueling Army and Marine Corps infantry posts or for spots on the high-risk special operations teams.
Carter's move also is a direct rebuff to the Marine Corps which asked for an exception to prevent women from serving in certain infantry and combat jobs. 'We are a joint force and I have decided to make a decision which applies to the entire force' Carter told a news conference.
But he acknowledged some concerns. 'Implementation won't happen overnight. And while at the end of the day this will make us a better and stronger force there still will be problems to fix and challenges to overcome. We shouldn't diminish that.'
Carter said the military can no longer afford to exclude half the population from high-risk military posts. He said that any man or woman who meets the standards should be able to serve and he gave the armed services 30 days to submit plans to make the change. Carter's order opens the final 10 percent of military positions to women a total of about 220000 jobs. And it allows them to serve in the most demanding and difficult jobs including as special operations forces such as the Army Delta units and Navy SEALs.
In recent years women have steadily moved into many jobs previously open only to men including on Navy submarines in Army artillery units and as Night Stalkers the elite special operations helicopter crews best known for flying the Navy SEALS into Osama Bin Laden's compound in 2011. And three women became the first to take and pass the Army's difficult Ranger course.
The reactions have been a bit mixed. In a survey disclosed early last year the Army found that less than 8 percent of women soldiers said they'd like to move into one of the combat posts.
The historic decision Thursday is a formal recognition that thousands of women have fought and many were wounded or killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But it's uncertain how many will actually want to compete for some of the more grueling Army and Marine Corps infantry posts or for spots on the high-risk special operations teams.
Carter's move also is a direct rebuff to the Marine Corps which asked for an exception to prevent women from serving in certain infantry and combat jobs. 'We are a joint force and I have decided to make a decision which applies to the entire force' Carter told a news conference.
But he acknowledged some concerns. 'Implementation won't happen overnight. And while at the end of the day this will make us a better and stronger force there still will be problems to fix and challenges to overcome. We shouldn't diminish that.'
Carter said the military can no longer afford to exclude half the population from high-risk military posts. He said that any man or woman who meets the standards should be able to serve and he gave the armed services 30 days to submit plans to make the change. Carter's order opens the final 10 percent of military positions to women a total of about 220000 jobs. And it allows them to serve in the most demanding and difficult jobs including as special operations forces such as the Army Delta units and Navy SEALs.
In recent years women have steadily moved into many jobs previously open only to men including on Navy submarines in Army artillery units and as Night Stalkers the elite special operations helicopter crews best known for flying the Navy SEALS into Osama Bin Laden's compound in 2011. And three women became the first to take and pass the Army's difficult Ranger course.
The reactions have been a bit mixed. In a survey disclosed early last year the Army found that less than 8 percent of women soldiers said they'd like to move into one of the combat posts.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any
responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos,
licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues
related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Comments
No comment