This from Reuters:

Top Pentagon officials are calling for an end to the U.S. military’s historical ban on allowing women to serve in submarines.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the top U.S. military officer, advocated the policy change in written congressional testimony distributed by his office to reporters on Friday.

"I believe we should continue to broaden opportunities for women. One policy I would like to see changed is the one barring (women’s) service aboard submarines," Mullen said.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said he was "moving out aggressively on this."

"I am very comfortable addressing integrating women into the submarine force," Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, said in a statement.

Women account for about 15 percent of the more than 336,000 members of the U.S. Navy and can serve on its surface ships. But critics have argued that submarines are different, pointing to cramped quarters where some crews share beds in shifts.

The military has proven itself to be a very adaptable organization over the years and I predict this will be no different. As I’ve said many times, no branch of the military should be off-limits to women. That includes frontline combat roles in the Special Forces. Any woman who wishes to become a Navy SEAL and is physically able to complete the training should be given the opportunity to serve.

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The NY Times has an interesting piece about women in today’s military. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have forced gender integration well beyond what was originally intended — with surprisingly good results.

I’m very glad to see women for the most part doing well in the military. The contribution that women make to the armed forces is absolutely essential and should never be taken for granted.

As The Times article points out, women are increasingly seeing front-line combat action, something that was unthinkable in past wars. Cultural sensitivities require women to be part of combat patrols and other missions so the female soldiers can frisk and search female locals.

It’s not uncommon to see women sitting atop the .50 gun turret in a Humvee ready to shred the enemy at a moments notice. This too, is a good thing.

I think partial gender integration is a sham. Women should have the opportunity to do anything in the military that men do. Women should be allowed to become Navy SEALs or Army Special Forces if they so choose.

If a women can meet the physical requirements to become a special operator, why should she not be allowed to?

The old theory that combat soldiers simply can’t cope with seeing women blown apart on the battlefield is false. The two wars we’re currently fighting have unfortunately seen many women blown apart.

Soldiers don’t like to see their brothers or sisters blown apart in battle, but women have every right to be combat soldiers or special ops soldiers if they so choose.

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A rampaging mob in western Kenya burnt 15 women accused of witchcraft to death, a local official and villagers told AFP Wednesday.

“This is unacceptable. People must not take the law into their own hands simply because they suspected someone,” said Mwangi Ngunyi, the head of Nyamaiya district. “We will hunt the suspects down,” he added.

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