Fact are Facts......not every female nor every male belongs in a "frontline assault combat unit." But those days have long past. Combat action is now 360°. And all units can now be considered "combat" units.
The days of uniform vs uniform warfare has become military uniform vs terrorists, extremists, anti-whatever using whatever weapons they can get their hands on or can expediently conjure up to demoralize those fighting against them.
Lessons learned from Vietnam:
Vietnamese women rigged booby traps gave those devises to their children to kill US soldiers. Vietnamese women rigged themselves with explosives to get in close to kill US soldiers.
Terrorists, extremists, anti-whatever, have adopted and expanded the use of expedient explosive devices and use of suicide bombers to attack and kill US soldiers.
These same groups have no qualms in who they attack as long as their objective is met and that is to demoralize and kill Americans and any other nationalities they deem against their evil cause.
add girlfriend/"girlfriend", boyfriend/"boyfriend", and husband/"husband".
This is an irrelevant. As this isn’t just a military problem. It's a soceital problem. Especially in America.
IIRC it was in the mid to late 1970's or early 1980's it was estimated that 50% of all marriages ended in divorce. And a break down as to highest to lowest percentages of those getting divorced: marriages less than 2 years, 2-4 years, etc., with the 10 -15 years of marriage having the lowest divorce rate. And finances was the number one reason for divorce. Military having the lowest wage pay scale.
Then the history of queers in the military being Section 8: to Tolerance; to Don't Ask, Don't Tell; to it's acceptable within limits; to being open.
And with that said.
In today's military who's the "protect the girl" creating potential for poor judgement?
It does have merit. Once American society gets over the "women are fragile/frail" mentality.
Why deprive women of testing themselves in combat?
Why deprive women to prove themselves equal to or better than men?
Why deprive women the opportunity to earn the same awards and advancement as men?
Isreali women and men, "so rumor has it; and from my understanding"; I can neither confirm nor deny....They treat each other as equals. Their "code" is simple: First they respect each other as individuals, as soldiers, and competent equals.
Same for the Russians military men and women.
Which the American mentality is: So Ignorant! So Blinded! and So unwilling to accept! such possible concepts; that female soldiers, Not All, but those that choose and are willing to commit to the challenge and in the end can out preform the male stereo type;
UGH...I personally want to rip out their male Freaken throats out, because they can't accept a woman is more capable of doing "a job" that their male ego lacks in the ability to preform.