6/21/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Opening more jobs in the military to women -- in particular lifting the combat exclusion -- is the right thing to do, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said June 20 as he brushed aside any notion that the armed forces would have to lower standards to do so.
Hagel's comments came during a visit with troops at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., in response to a question about whether the policy change could affect mission success. On Tuesday, senior defense and military officials unveiled the services' respective plans for lifting the combat exclusion for women.
"I think everyone understands it's the right thing," he said. "It's not a matter of lowering standards to assist women to get into combat positions." Hagel added that part of the process will be finding "the right balance of implementation."
The plan to remove gender-based standards was announced by former Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta in January. The branches have a deadline of January 2016 to follow through - including ending the ban on women serving in the Navy SEALs and the Army Rangers -- with any exceptions requiring the approval of the defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs chairman.
"Why shouldn't (women) have the same opportunities as men?" Hagel responded to his questioner.
Hagel also said increases in cases of sexual assault in the military are a "scourge and a very, very dark mark on all of the success of this institution." He said "there is no higher priority" he has as defense chief "than to make everybody accountable all the time, up and down the line."
Comments
6/28/2013 1:05:46 PM ET Wolf-1 I'll take the same PT test as you any day. Not all females in the AF are cut from the same cloth as the ones you allegedly spoke to.
Capt, USAFA
6/28/2013 10:01:03 AM ET Our enemies won't stand a chance against PMS.
Alan Carter, DC
6/25/2013 9:35:03 AM ET How about we equalize the PT standards between men and women Since they asked for equality so bad....but the females I threw this at said things will become unfair for them and they don't want the change.
Wolf-1, Earth
6/24/2013 4:27:01 PM ET Since all career fields are open to women why are only men required to register with selective service If a man fails to file with selective service he is refused federal employment student loans and grants for college and any other federal benefit. If women are eligible for all military career fields they should be treated just like men. If not I see a class action discrimination lawsuit coming very soon. With rights come responsibility.
Don, Oklahoma
6/24/2013 3:29:07 PM ET I just hope that physical standards remain mission-based and not on the need to get women in to these career fields. If women can meet these mission-based needs by all means accept them.
Tom C., PA
6/24/2013 11:32:01 AM ET The articles I've seen mention opening these closed career fields to women. I have yet to see any suggestion that women will forced into them. I don't believe that there will be an exodus of women from other career fields to combat rescue officer PJ or SEAL training. But those who do 'pack the gear to serve' in these roles whether male or female should be allowed all with the same standards. I am glad there are people who can serve in these roles for Lord knows I wasn't one of them.
DMPI, Arlington VA
6/22/2013 5:57:11 PM ET Funny thing is most of the females in the military that I've talked with regarding the subject do NOT agree with this decision. This agenda was pushed by a FEW feminist and their lawyers. Over the last year the USMC has opened their Officer Infantry Course to females and not 1 has passed. Google Female Marine Captain against women in the infantry.The facts don't lie and as much as I agree with equal rights this should be a non-player. Female athletes experience a rate of muscle atrophy MUCH greater than a male's. Additionally the combat diet is much different that what a serious crossfitter would consume contributing to the loss of strength in the field. Furthermore scientific studies show that women in the military suffer over twice as many serious injuries to the legs and hips than military men do. Bottom line is this move just doesn't pass the sanity check. I'm afraid that the decision makers didn't put enough effort researching the negative impact this
truthdata, you name it
6/22/2013 4:22:43 PM ET This entire subject will NEVER be completely resolved in anyone's lifetime because men and women at a base biological level will NEVER be exactly the same. The problem with all of this is there's one problem but seen from two viewpoints. One person calls it gender bias and the other says it's gender equality. When you look at how the military brass does anything - you will see plenty of rules not grounded in pure logic or common sense much of it is a control issue. Does 20 push-ups equate to mission success and 10 doesn't Based on a small amount of biology and a LOT of society-pressure we get a general pattern of how women and men co-exist. If the military's job is to protect our freedom then all rules must be about mission-essential utility and NOTHING ELSE.
VietVetSteve, Southern California
6/22/2013 5:07:54 AM ET It is not the right thing to do - it is the politically correct thing to do and we all know it.
One Of The Girls, Sandland
6/21/2013 1:59:39 PM ET I guess my only question is besides personal and popular opinions what has changed in the past 200 plus years of the military to faciliate this change. The differences between the civilan world and the military continues to be blurred but at what cost.
Say What, Here
6/21/2013 1:32:43 PM ET Maybe the AF should set up another Womens Leadership Symposium and ask for their insight on this subject.
Retired, Ohio
6/21/2013 12:13:56 PM ET Just don't change the PT standards at all and there should be less issues.
Dane, Colorado
6/21/2013 10:53:24 AM ET So if this is the right thing to do then changing the Selective Service law to require all citizens to register on their 18th birthday is also the right thing to do. Fair and Equitable...
RC, GA
6/21/2013 10:39:39 AM ET Why not get rid of ALL gender based standards. Women should register for the draft when they turn 18. Women should meet exactly the same standards as men...both fitness and physical. If that is the case then NO ONE will think anything about ALL positions in the military being open to anybody as long as the qualifications are met. When you have two types of standards then you don't really have standards at all. I also think you should get rid of age based standards as well. If an 18 year old A1C needs to run a mile and a half in a certain time and do a set number of push ups in two minutes then the 55 year old General needs to do exactly the same.
