View Full Version : Gates Predicts Women in Special Forces
BMT (RIP)
09-30-2010, 06:34
http://www.military.com/news/article/gates-predicts-women-in-special-forces.html?ESRC=eb.nl
BMT
Gates Predicts Women in Special Forces
Retirement Planning???
Maybe a job with Big Sis??
TSA: Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) X-Spurt??
Santo Tomas
09-30-2010, 11:41
Gates Predicts Women Will Serve In Special Forces
DURHAM, North Carolina (AFP) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he foresaw a day when the military would lift its ban on women serving in elite special forces.
Although military rules bar women from ground combat, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have thrust female troops into firefights and forced US commanders to review the policy.
Gates said he expected the prohibition against women in US Special Operations forces would be phased out in a deliberate manner similar to the way women have been allowed to serve on submarines since earlier this year.
"It will happen, but it will happen in the same very careful way that women in submarines is being done," Gates told an audience of students enrolled in reserve officer training in North Carolina.
As a first step, female officers are being assigned to larger Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarines.
The larger vessels make it easier to accommodate female crew members, and each team of women includes a more senior female officer who serves as a "mentor," Gates said.
"My guess is at some point... there'll be a careful step in that direction with Special Operations forces," he said.
The crack special forces' units carry out some of the military's most dangerous and sensitive operations, sabotaging targets behind enemy lines and hunting down suspected terrorists, but have remained one of the last all-male bastions in the armed forces.
Gates flew to Duke University to give a speech on the state of the all-volunteer military, warning the force could become alienated over time from the rest of society, with recruits and bases concentrated in more rural, conservative areas.
blue02hd
09-30-2010, 11:49
Promises, promises,,,,
ZonieDiver
09-30-2010, 11:51
"Twelve men (and women), brave and true
Twelve men (and women) fight for you.
They bring hope where they are seen,
Twelve men (and women), invincible, the A Team!"
Somehow, it just doesn't "sing"!
The Reaper
09-30-2010, 12:27
I believe he said SOF, not SF.
TR
I believe he said SOF, not SF.
Yep.
More Women in Special Ops Forces, Gates Predicts
DOD News, 30 Sep 2010
Women already serve in a limited capacity within the special operations community -- primarily in civil affairs, mission information support and aviation capacities, a U.S. Special Operations Command official confirmed. However, most special operations billets, including Navy Sea, Air and Land teams, more commonly known as SEAL teams, and Special Forces A-teams, are limited to males.
Here's the entire speech if anyone's interested:
Lecture at Duke University (All-Volunteer Force)
As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Durham, North Carolina, Wednesday, September 29, 2010
http://www.defense.gov/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=1508
And so it goes...
Richard :munchin
I forsee Women coming into more SF lines.
SMUs already use women for roles that they are needed in. SAS use females from the Det for NI ops. Two men sitting in a hotel room or car or on some street raise eyes. One man and one women in those same roles, don't.
So Women coming to White SF, soon. How soon is the question.
blue02hd
09-30-2010, 13:43
Personally,
I am prepared to suck it up,,,
http://acidcow.com/girls/9184-hot-women-in-uniform-40-pics.html
Blitzzz (RIP)
09-30-2010, 13:51
Gates has obviously been watching too much TV. All the new "elite" SWAT and NCISs have female shooters/Door kickers. None with big rucksacks yet. Guess Gates is waiting for a show with that.
ZonieDiver
09-30-2010, 14:13
None with big rucksacks yet.
I've heard "them" called lots of things, but never "rucksacks"! :D
greenberetTFS
09-30-2010, 14:22
Rucksacks!.......... :eek: Huh,is that what "there" called now............:rolleyes: Hummmmm.......;)
Big Teddy :munchin
I've heard "them" called lots of things, but never "rucksacks"! :D
"My guess is at some point ... there'll be a careful step in that direction with special operations forces," he said. The crack Special Forces' units carry out some of the military's most dangerous and sensitive operations, sabotaging targets behind enemy lines and hunting down suspected terrorists, but have remained one of the last all-male bastions in the armed forces.
Been said before, and will say it again; Just as a plain ol' woman....We have limits, physically, mentally, emotionally. Women do NOT belong on an SF Team, IMVHO. This opinion is based on just obervation and research of only seven years of the SF community, so it may be flawed...but, just sayin'!:munchin
Holly:munchin
Golly, just the thought of it made me throw up a lil in the back of my throat.
Gates drank toooo much of the koolaid. And "his" CinC has 2 yrs left, his "prediction" will never fly. How much more would they have to lower to the standards to make that happen? If they lower them anymore, they will be recruiting from the "nervous hospital". ;)
I've heard "them" called lots of things, but never "rucksacks"! :D
Jamie Lee Curtis, Trading Places, "Can you help me with my 'Rooksak'?".
I'm thinking, "sure".
Peregrino
09-30-2010, 19:23
Women will be in direct support of SF "activities" very quickly (in the near future). That doesn't mean they're going to be on ODAs or door kicking. We actually need them in certain circumstances - eliciting information from Islamic women comes immediately to mind. The few that make the grade will become valuable adjuncts to our community. The rest will make it that much harder for their "sisters" to get the chance to prove themselves.
drymartini66
09-30-2010, 21:52
Sec. Gates is behind the times. Didn't some female Captain some 20 years ago claim to have made SF? (sarcasim):munchin
1stindoor
10-01-2010, 09:26
Sec. Gates is behind the times. Didn't some female Captain some 20 years ago claim to have made SF? (sarcasim):munchin
I call thread hijack!
On this site...that's a big button to push.
Just remember never to call her name aloud...lest the google alerts wake the slumbering entity.
There has only been one woman in Special Forces, and she earned it.
Col Maggie, Rest in Peace.
The Reaper
10-01-2010, 14:52
There has only been one woman in Special Forces, and she earned it.
Col Maggie, Rest in Peace.
Or her lawyer did.:rolleyes:
TR
drymartini66
10-01-2010, 16:39
I call thread hijack!
On this site...that's a big button to push.
Just remember never to call her name aloud...lest the google alerts wake the slumbering entity.
My apologies for sure. Total sarcasim on my part. After seeing the thread a few weeks ago about the said Captain's quest to make SF and doing some further research, the whole affair screamed of politics and her claim is totally unjustified. I just can't understand why folks claim to be something they're not. It's totally dishonorbale and shows a total lack of integrity. Outside of that, whether females should be apart of SF teams, it's not for me to say since I'm not SF.:munchin
I just can't understand why folks claim to be something they're not. It's totally dishonorbale and shows a total lack of integrity.
AND POSERS BE DAMNED!!!!!:mad:
Holly
drymartini66
10-01-2010, 17:38
AND POSERS BE DAMNED!!!!!:mad:
Holly
ABSOLUTELY!:mad:
...I just can't understand why folks claim to be something they're not.
It's not just in the armed forces, people everyday try to be something they are not and try to convince all others along the way.
What stands out in this community is there is absolutely nothing to prove.
"You can learn alot about the friends I have, by observing the enemies I keep".
drymartini66
10-01-2010, 20:19
It's not just in the armed forces, people everyday try to be something they are not and try to convince all others along the way.
What stands out in this community is there is absolutely nothing to prove.
"You can learn alot about the friends I have, by observing the enemies I keep".
Very well said. Your statement speaks for itself.:munchin
Or her lawyer did.:rolleyes:
TR
C'mon TR, You mean Honorary Col Maggie??????
I think you're thinking of.....dare I say it........Katie.....duhoo, there I done went and said it:eek::eek:
I don't have a problem at all with bringing women into Special Forces----as long as the SFAS/SFQC standards are not altered one iota. If the standard calls for a minimum of ten dead-hang pull-ups, then by God that's the standard---for men and women. If the standard calls for the student ODA to carry rucksacks weighing in excess of 90 pounds each for a full mission profile-----and the only thing that a 100 lb female SF candidate can do is sit on her aformentioned rucksack----well then, sorry----there's the door. I'm sure there's a handful of women out there who could do this job, and it might do our Regiment some good to bring them into the ranks considering our evolving missions. This will probably happen at some point. And if we as a Regiment don't begin shaping the environment such that our standards are protected, then we will have failed.
I do, however, think that females should first be integrated into the conventional combat arms (infantry, armor, etc) before venturing into SF. Ya gotta walk before you can run.
My apologies for sure. Total sarcasim on my part.
FWIW and because sarcasm (even when dripping with rhetorical wit worthy of an Art Buchwald and appropriately placed emoticons) is often difficult to detect (especially when engaged in a hot button debate), many of us here have adopted the use of 'pink' font (bottom left corner of the font 'colors' pull-down located between the 'Sizes' and 'Smilies' pull-downs) to denote a sarcastic response.
Richard :munchin
blue02hd
10-02-2010, 06:01
I stand ready to support this latest requirement.167081670916710
The Reaper
10-02-2010, 08:15
I don't have a problem at all with bringing women into Special Forces----as long as the SFAS/SFQC standards are not altered one iota. If the standard calls for a minimum of ten dead-hang pull-ups, then by God that's the standard---for men and women. If the standard calls for the student ODA to carry rucksacks weighing in excess of 90 pounds each for a full mission profile-----and the only thing that a 100 lb female SF candidate can do is sit on her aformentioned rucksack----well then, sorry----there's the door. I'm sure there's a handful of women out there who could do this job, and it might do our Regiment some good to bring them into the ranks considering our evolving missions. This will probably happen at some point. And if we as a Regiment don't begin shaping the environment such that our standards are protected, then we will have failed.
I do, however, think that females should first be integrated into the conventional combat arms (infantry, armor, etc) before venturing into SF. Ya gotta walk before you can run.
Hey, I am with you, brother, but that will be an impossibility.
Look at Airborne School, and what happened to standards there when they allowed females to attend. If a man has to be able to do 50 push-ups or six pull-ups because he needs the strength to pull a riser, why is the requirement removed for women? Do they get special female only parachutes or do their parachutes work differently?
Why not evaluate all soldiers physical fitness on the same standards to start with? If a man needs 40 PU, 40 SU, and a 16:00 run time or better just to pass, why should we let females max the test with less?
The SFAS and SFQC have both had the standards changed at various times to allow more graduates. How long before they would be changed because few, if any females were being selected or graduated?
We already have women in SF units. I just don't think we need them on ODAs.
TR
Expectations contingent upon realistic performance-based standards should be the sole norm - hell, I would've made a lousy cook, clerk, piccolo player, etc. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Ambush Master
10-02-2010, 08:27
I stand ready to support this latest requirement.167081670916710
That last pic, with the chick on the bike, good trick with the "empties in the air" and the DUST COVER IS CLOSED!!!
That last pic, with the chick on the bike, good trick with the "empties in the air" and the DUST COVER IS CLOSED!!!
Probably why she's an O6 ??
The Reaper
10-02-2010, 08:34
That last pic, with the chick on the bike, good trick with the "empties in the air" and the DUST COVER IS CLOSED!!!
The brass isn't 5.56 either. Looks more like 7.62x39.:D
TR
blue02hd
10-02-2010, 10:03
The brass isn't 5.56 either. Looks more like 7.62x39.:D
TR
Funny, never noticed brass til I read your post,,,
drymartini66
10-02-2010, 11:14
FWIW and because sarcasm (even when dripping with rhetorical wit worthy of an Art Buchwald and appropriately placed emoticons) is often difficult to detect (especially when engaged in a hot button debate), many of us here have adopted the use of 'pink' font (bottom left corner of the font 'colors' pull-down located between the 'Sizes' and 'Smilies' pull-downs) to denote a sarcastic response.
Richard :munchin
Many thanks for the heads up.:D:munchin
Utah Bob
10-02-2010, 22:29
Alas, I have nothing to add here.
Not even pics.:munchin
Probably why she's an O6 ??
Actually, it looks like she's a Lieutenant Colonel General.
Hey....there's Sergeant Majors, Major Generals, and Corporal Captains......
.....why not a Lieutenant Colonel General? :munchin
(BTW.....Nice bike.)
drymartini66
10-03-2010, 00:43
Actually, it looks like she's a Lieutenant Colonel General.
Hey....there's Sergeant Majors, Major Generals, and Corporal Captains......
.....why not a Lieutenant Colonel General? :munchin
(BTW.....Nice bike.)
Don't forget the Command Master Private.:D
Don't forget the Command Master Private.:D
Also known as Specialists (SP4) :munchin
Gates flew to Duke University to give a speech on the state of the all-volunteer military, warning the force could become alienated over time from the rest of society, with recruits and bases concentrated in more rural, conservative areas.
Perhaps the good secretary (who I find I dislike more with each public speech) should take a quick look at a population map of the US and see how much of our nation is rural vs. urban.