Tradition of Change Enhances the Armed Forces
Today’s Washington Post article by Craig Whitlock (“Plans to allow women and gays, ban smoking shake world of Navy submarines”) is the latest example that the military will successfully adapt to change when DADT is repealed. According to the story, the Navy will ban smoking by the end of 2010 and plans to allow women to serve alongside men in its 13,000-strong, all-male Submarine Force (aka the “Silent Service”) by the end of 2011.
These changes come in addition to anticipated repeal of DADT. Despite the outdated fears of sexual tension echoed by some, officers like Rear Adm. Barry L. Bruner, commander of Submarine Group 10 in Kings Bay, Ga., understand that integration of women is the right thing to do for the military:
“I have listened to concerns and understand that there will [be] some difficulties. However, I have no doubt that it is the absolutely right thing to do and we are working hard to ensure a smooth transition.”
Similarly, more and more leaders in the military are recognizing that implementing DADT repeal would be similarly successful:
“‘Everybody knows there are already homosexuals on our force, and I don't think them being open about it will change anything on a boat,’ said another active-duty lieutenant who spoke on condition of anonymity.”
Instead of preparing for the doomsday scenario that some predict, Navy leadership understands that allowing women on board subs will have long-term benefits for the force:
Navy officials said they don't anticipate a problem. In fact, they said one motivation in enabling women to serve on submarines is to increase their pool of potential recruits; it's not always easy to persuade people to live and work underwater for months at a time in a cramped, steel tube.
Greater inclusion of qualified service members – whether women or gays – might make some waves at first, but at the end of the day the military culture embraces change, moves forward and becomes stronger.
04-22-10 By Paul DeMiglio, Senior Communications Manager |
3 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.Dion in Adelaide Australia on April 26, 2010 at 07.15 pm
G’day all from downunder.
Steve is right, in Australia, we have intergrated women into our submarines over the last decade with success. We have a nominal crew of 45, with max POB of 60. Initially the women were in a single 6 berth cabin on their own, and of course, being down under, we started with the Junior Sailor ranks (E2-E5 equivilant), not with the commissioned officers as the USN intends.
After the JS, we then took commissioned officers to sea, which then meant that the 6 berth cabin was a mixture of sailors and officers, which wasn’t fair on any of the 6 occupants.
Now we have the JS promoted to being Senior Sailors, our Petty Officers (equivelant to E6).
We then took the next step and have intergrated cabins for the SS and WR. In 2007, one of our subs had one female PO in one of the SS 5 berth cabins. The following year we had two female PO’s in that 5 berth cabin. That cabin was then 2 str8 CPO (E8), one gay CPO (E8) me, and the two female PO’s. That trip in 2008 was a seven month deployment from home port before returning to home port, included RIMPAC 2008 and a trip to Guam on the way back to Australia.
We now have the flexibility to crew our submarines correctly. No alterations were nescessary to the 5 berth cabins. No alterations were required to the washrooms, and the only clue in the heads is the sanitary bin, which gets replaced by contractor when in Port.
A few of the USN submariners that have rode our boats will also speak highly of the success that it is.
Also, shock horror, one of the female PO’s also deputises for the COB in his absence, and does a sterling job of that.
Once again, regards from down under and I look forward to seeing a fully intergrated USN soon.
Cheers,
Dion.
Dino in Washington, DC on April 25, 2010 at 03.30 pm
@Steve; exactly!! Change can also be seen at the US Federal Service Academies, and how women have fared in the past thirty-four years since being cadets and midshipmen. In 1975 Congress passed a law alowing women to the US Service Academies (West Point, Annapolis and the US Air Force Academy) over the fierce objections of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The US Coast Guard Academy and the US Merchant Marine Academy and the various State Maritime Academies had already admitted women cadets and midshipmen in the early 1970s. “What happened to tradition?” was the common question asked among “mids” at the US Naval Academy in the Spring of 1976, in reaction to the news that they would have the first class of female plebes that coming fall. Women began their service in June of 1976 at the three major US Service Academies, and the sky didn’t fall. We saw a resurgence of that debate in the late 1990s, over women cadets at VMI and the Citadel. Women have even been sucessfully integreated to those schools in the past decade.
Steve on April 23, 2010 at 06.09 am
The fuss about absolutely needing to refit submarines seems a bit silly to me. Australia, Norway and Germany for example have women on small diesel-electric submarines. Without any new facilities. Sometimes they even hot-bunk with men. Norway even had a female submarine skipper in the mid-90s. Even nuclear attack submarines are huge and somewhat less cramped compared to those boats.