You've fallen right into the trap and you think I don't understand?
The policy hasn't even been implemented, the military has three years to put it into effect, but SR's talking about it like he's a Monday morning quarterback. That makes his comments prediction and supposition, not fact.
Now I don't expect you to do anything but stick up for your fellow male, but common sense should tell you that we'll only know if this was a good move when it actually happens.
Now go back and read this at least three times, until it sinks in.
Christiefan,
My thoughts on this issue are not to predict failure. In the arena of the military, failure cannot be pegged to any single cause. The prediction of failure has no definition.
My concern is the security risk to the nation, and the risk of loss of life, IF a policy, any policy, is enacted for no good necessity and the level of concern is tied directly to the risk management.
What I would hope is that individual citizens such as yourself, might get a little educated on aspects and viewpoints that you will not find by sucking down the talking points of the spokespeople you idolize.
For example, if you understand how important it is for physical standards to not be compromised because of the risk for people to lose their lives in situations that could be avoided, would you support that? Would you as a citizen of the nation, put forth your time and energy to ensure that your representatives put forth all possible effort to make sure standards are not lowered. The flip side to that argument is that you might argue that your solution, if physical standards were keeping an individual from a certain job, is that those standards SHOULD be lowered because they institute an unfairness towards one gender?
It is important for you to attempt to consume information and perspectives of WHY physical standards have value. What they are associated with. How they are applicable. And this is just one common sense facet of this issue. The cohesion question is just as important.
Coming into this, Im sure you assumed that since a high ranking general said that he was riding in a humvee with a female operating the weapon in the gun turret, that you assumed that she was trained to use that weapon, that she could be utilized as a machine gunner in an infantry capacity and that she had been trained to operate with that responsibility? That she was already performing the job of an infantry machine gunner, because of that story. And when someone challenged the factual accuracy of that, you might feel they were just attacking women and would support policies that placed that female into a position where she most likely could not succeed because you did not have the correct appreciation of the facts.
You might then look at the truth and what it would really take for her to have an actual machine gunner billet. You might consider the effects of the men around her and how they have been raised in addition to the physical demands that are required for her to do that job correctly and safely, not only for herself but for the other people around her.... those other people possibly being your son, or brother, or father. You might then examine the reason WHY she is being put their to begin with. And after looking at all the facts, you might then be able to asses the risks...
Is it worth having a woman in that position knowing that my son might find himself wounded on foreign land lying next to her needing to be carried 100 meters under fire in order to receive medical attention? Is there such a great benefit to her being on that battlefield, not as a support person, but as the designated individual to shoulder that burden... when modifying standards were being discussed?
Winning battles is the means to the political ends of all wars. Your national security is tied to that reality. Is there some military benefit that you feel is necessary to INCREASE your Armed Forces ability to win these battles with the most minimal of loss of human life, that includes adding MORE RISK to such an endeavor? Is making sure that a female can get another promotion worth that risk?
These are life and death decisions. This isnt about sex, or sexual assault, or women bashing... this is your physical security being provided by the state. This is your family members, or friends stepping into the void in order to defend a nation. This isnt a social experiment... lives are actually in the balance here.
You mention that you will only know its a good move when it actually happens. I say.. if you have $5,000.00 in the bank, money you know you have and its good, then you go buy 5,000 lottery tickets... would you say, "Well, we'll know if it was a good move if I win!"?
How will we know it was a bad move. After a Marine or Soldier dies because a female couldnt get him out? What is the indicator to you that it wasnt smart?