What interesting military leadership we have.

[iarwain]

Women in combat that are captured are likely to be sexually assaulted. You guys consider this an issue at all?

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

Since the United States hasn’t won a major military conflict since 1945, and leadership, both military and civilian, seems comfortable with that losing streak, I’d say military readiness is a moot point.

 

[RDKirk]

I can say from personal experience that a woman is just as effective at hand-to-hand combat as a man if she is trained and prepared, but that has no bearing on the topic being discussed. How much of modern warfare is hand-to-hand combat?

Not much is hand to hand combat.

But typical infantry duty still involves hard all-day marches carrying 90 pounds of gear in extreme conditions, and then maybe getting into a firefight and having to run, jump, dodge with that 90 pounds of gear and maybe pull a wounded 190-pound buddy to safety while under fire with his 90 pounds of gear and your own 90 pounds of gear.

It's par for the course to be able to train the great majority of 18-year-old males to do that.

The ironic thing is that nobody wants to look at what sports science already knows about the relative physical differences between men and women. There is a reason why women don't compete against men in physical contact sports.

One dirty secret military medicine already knows about women "out in the field" in ground occupations is that they don't heal nearly as well or fast as young males. A young male can hop out of a truck with 90 pounds of gear on his back, march hard all day, suffering microtears of his ligaments and microfractures of his joints. Give him a good night's rest and he's healed.

That's the work of testosterone and growth hormone, which young males have in abundance, but women and older men do not. Women and older men don't heal quickly from those micro-injuries, but just build them up day after day until they become major injuries that take the person completely out of action...perhaps permanently.

That happens, the Army has known about it since at least the early 90s (since they've had sufficient numbers of women in the field to build up statistics) but it's not politically feasible for the Army to reveal it.

 

[RDKirk]

Since the United States hasn’t won a major military conflict since 1945, and leadership, both military and civilian, seems comfortable with that losing streak, I’d say military readiness is a moot point.

The US military has not lost any combat engagements because troops on the ground failed in their ability to carry out their combat assignments, and that is what this thread is about.

 

[RDKirk]

Hi @renniks

While I really abhor that anyone dies in warfare; while I dislike the idea of women also making such sacrifices, I don't believe that in modern warfare, physical strength really has much to do with one's ability to participate in some war. Yes, there was a time, in the days when you had to wait to 'see the white's of' the enemies eyes, to fight hand to hand with sword and musket, that physical strength would be an advantage. But most clashes between armies today, and pretty much since Vietnam are not fought hand to hand in battle lines. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, but it is certainly far, far from the norm of two armies meeting one another.

So, I say all that just to say that while I would agree that I'd prefer women didn't follow after the wicked hearts of men in this blood thirst called war. I don't believe that physical strength is a particularly valid excuse for them not to.

God bless,
Ted

Yes, strength does matter. For the infantry, it still matters a heck of a lot, every day.

Even for many support fields--even in the Air Force--it can matter greatly. For instance, have you ever noticed the missiles suspended from the wings of fighter aircraft? They're normally a bit above head height. On good days, when combat tempo is low and everything is working properly, the crews who have to hoist those missiles onto the aircraft have mechanical hoists to help them.

But on bad days, when combat tempo is high, when ground crews are turning aircraft around 24/7, those hoists become scarce. They break down. You've got an aircraft that needs to be reloaded and there is electric cart to be found. Then those guys we call "BB-Stackers" have to hoist those missiles--weighing hundreds of pounds each--by hand, lift them to their shoulders, and hold them up to engage the locking mechanisms. Over and over again, aircraft after aircraft, hour after hour, day after day...until the battle is over. During DESERT STORM we were launching literally a thousand planes a day.

Theoretically, aircraft maintainers have electric carts to move heavy toolboxes and aircraft parts. In real life...there's never a cart available when you need one.

That's why there is also an age limit for the draft and for enlistment...it's not an old man's game, either.