AFA of PA ACTION ALERT

120601-N-IL267-209, VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (June 1, 2012) Coastal Riverine Force Sailors drive a Riverine Patrol Boat in Little Creek during an establishment ceremony for Coastal Riverine Force (CORIVFOR) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, June 1. CORIVFOR, a merger of Riverine Group 1 and the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force (MESF), will perform core maritime expeditionary security missions in the green and brown waters bridging the gap between traditional Navy blue water operations and land-based forces, spanning the capabilities that currently reside with the riverine and expeditionary security force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Dustin Q. Diaz/Released)

December 14, 2015

Issue

Women on the Front Lines

Details

As you may know on December 3rd, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced he was opening ALL military units to women. After the 2013 announcement by then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, only ten percent had remained closed to females. Carter’s announcement now means the Army Rangers, Green Berets and Navy Seals must now allow women. Additionally, women will be required to serve in combat units fighting up close and personal. Supposedly this is something women in the military want. However, a recent survey of women in the Army showed 92.5 percent do NOT want to serve on the front lines. This is not something the majority of military women who will actually be impacted by this decision want.

More troubling is in my recent interview with Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, she said Congress recently changed the rules for their input on proposals by the Secretary of Defense. In the National Defense Authorization Act they changed the time frame for their response to rule changes from the Secretary from 30 legislative days to 30 calendar days. It seems they are ignoring their constitutional duty “to make rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval forces.” And . . . what better time for Ash Carter to announce a change in the military than right before the Christmas and New Year’s break when Congress will be out of Washington about 15 of the 30 calendar days they would have to respond!

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