Having gotten some info I feel I can discuss this now. Not that I am in favour of war, but more than I am in favour of choice, whenever possible.

Well I know the US Air force already has sentry snipers. Though I personally don't think it will prove a good idea to put us on the actual front line.

Because of physical strength, you mean? I saw this book by a Danish top military person who thought that the immediate lesser strength was evened out by more stamina. It being a Danish book I can only quot eit like this:
oberst Lars R. Møller,
»Kvinder i kamp«, (women in fight)


"argumenterer obersten for, at kvinder med lethed kan klare mænd i åben kamp. f.eks. med et karateslag til adamsæblet, og at de i øvrigt kan være så aggressive, at de gamle argumenter mod kvinder ved fronten hermed skulle være ryddet af banen. Mænd har argumenteret med mandens stærkere fysik, men Møller indvender, at kvinder til gengæld er mere udholdende og viser med eksempler, at kvindelige soldater både under den amerikanske borgerkrig og i de kinesiske kommunisters lange march har udholdt strabadser, som de fleste mænd ikke kan."

"the oberst argues that women easily can handle men in open combat, for instance with a karate hit to the throat, and that they btw can be so aggressive, that the old arguments against women at the front hereby should be out of the way. Men have argued on the basis of men's bigger strength, but Møller argues that during the American civil war and in the long march of the Chineese communists women have withstood hardship that most men could not."

http://www.b.dk/boeger/kvinder-ved-fronten

It is well known that in revolutions and resistance movements women are there, but whether this makes a difference to the a military operation I could not say.


[I can see us serving in roles that do not require us to go on 10 mile route marches packing 80 pound rucksacks.

I do not know that the 10 miles would be a problem, but maybe the 80 pund rucksack might. Do people really carry that around? Does not look like it from the reportages I have seen from Afghanistan.


They might do better to study the Israeli model, they have after all had women serving in a far wider variety of roles for a longer time.

Well, I know now that many countries other than Israel do this - Canada, Italy, Denmark, some African countries, Russia, New Zealand

Australia apparently opened up september last year
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/wo...mbat.html?_r=1

They can't all be wrong, surely?

I agree they should get better training especially in base defense and convoy defensive roles...but I believe honestly that they would be a determent to unit integrity in front line "infantry" capacities (something also determined by others who have tested out women serving in such capacities)

Apparently this is one reason women want to be regular - they end up in fighting situations without having had the proper training so yes, that would be good.

I do not know what the determent is?
Others countries do not find it so, and Danish male soldier do not seem to find it so, at least not the ones who's blog and comments I have read.

Also whether or not we are ready, honestly ready our selves should be too.
I am sure they now their own minds.