Commandos: Women Have No Business in Spec Ops
The men in the U.S. military's most dangerous jobs have a message for their political leadership: women have no place on their teams.
In a survey conducted by the Rand Corporation, more than 7,000 members of America's Special Operations Forces unanimously objected to having women do their jobs.
They say allowing women to serve as Navy SEALs, Army Delta or other commando units could hurt their effectiveness and lower the standards.
Lack of physical strength and mental toughness were the main reasons given.
"I weigh 225 pounds, and 280 pounds in full kit, as did most of the members of my ODA (a 12-man Army Green Beret unit)," one respondent said. "I expect every person on my team to be able to drag any member of my team out of a firefight. A 130-pound female could not do it, I don't care how much time she spends in the gym. Do we expect wounded men to bleed out because a female soldier could not drag him to cover?"
Another said, "Gender equality is not an option when the bullets are flying."
"Most males in the area of the world I work in would rather back hand a female than listen to her speak. There is a reason we send men to do these jobs," he said.
Meanwhile, military leaders say qualifying standards for Special Operations jobs will not change.
