Saturday, September 2, 2017

Opening Military

From the BBC:
"RAF's close combat unit opens to women for the first time"

The Royal Air Force has become the first branch of the British military to open up every role to men and women. From Friday it will accept applications from women to join the RAF Regiment - its ground-fighting force. The Army and Navy will open also roles to all genders over the next 12-18 months.  The main role of the 2,000-strong RAF Regiment, which sustained casualties in Afghanistan, is to patrol and protect RAF bases and airfields. Women make up 14% of the air force as a whole - compared to 10% for the whole military.  BBC Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale says it is a significant moment because it means women can now apply for any RAF role, from fighter pilot to ground support.  The RAF's women will not be the first women allowed to serve in close combat roles, as some recently joined the Army's Royal Armoured Corps, but they are still excluded from several of the Army's regiments.  It will be another year before women can apply to enter infantry units, and the Navy's Royal Marines, where the physical demands can be tougher. In July, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon announced that the RAF Regiment would be open to them from September - ahead of its original 2018 schedule. He said at the time: "A diverse force is a more operationally effective force." 


^ Women should be allowed in all fields of the military that men are. The only requirement should be that a man or woman pass the required tests. ^


http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41119863

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