Women in Combat Rule Slipping

According to U.S Army policy, women are not allowed to be attached to combat units, or even units that directly support combat units.

In an environment like Iraq, where insurgents can easily ruin the day of non-combat support elements, the distinction isn't so black and white.

The Pentagon will miss Congress' March 31 deadline for certifying that the Army's reorganization of war-fighting brigades is abiding by its rule that women not serve in direct land combat or in support units that embed in those units, according to an internal memo.

Congress last year heard reports from some soldiers and from the Center for Military Readiness that mixed-sex Forward Support Companies (FSCs) were positioned within combat units.

They said the arrangement violated a 1994 Pentagon policy that had expressly banned such "collocation." The Army denied breaking the rule, but many Republicans were skeptical.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, California Republican, won passage of an amendment to this year's defense bill. It required Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to review how the Army is deploying women amid an ongoing Army transformation that is creating "modular" brigade combat teams with mix-and-match support units.


The military has been reluctant to use women in combat because of the treatment that they would receive if captured. The fraternization issue also is a consideration.

Our "war on terror" tutors, the Israelis, however have successfully incorporated women in combat units since the founding of their state.

America's Middle-Eastern partner is known to be very effective in battling the freedom hatin' Muslims. Maybe we are now planning to adopt the Israeli policy.