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In the RAN for the last few years women have made up the majority of the graduating classes for O's and OR's (but overall numbers in the fleet are still large minority due to retention issues)
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US Navy allows women to serve on submarines
* From: AFP
* February 24, 2010 1:18PM
THE US Navy has decided to allow women to serve on submarines, ending one of the last all-male bastions in the American military.
Defence Secretary Robert Gates approved the recommendation and sent letters to Congress informing members of the plan on Monday, officials said.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, had briefed Gates on the change and ``he's endorsed it and sent it on to Congress'', press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.
Members of congress have 30 days to comment on the move before it goes into effect, officials say.
American women can already serve on the navy's fleet of warships and fly fighter aircraft, but nuclear-powered subs have remained off limits.
US naval officers previously cited the extremely tight quarters of a submarine as the main reason for the prohibition, but those who favour lifting the ban say subs could be outfitted with separate berths and bathrooms.
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The decision calls for ``a phased approach to assigning women on submarines'', said a defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
One option under consideration would be to first allow female officers to serve on submarines, the official told Agence France-Presse.
That approach would involve less sweeping change as officers already have separate quarters from enlisted service members, the official said.
The first group of female officers selected for the duty would have to attend special training for submarines and for nuclear-powered vessels that takes more than a year, the official added.
Top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen first called for the change in written testimony to Congress last year, saying he wanted to ``continue to broaden opportunities for women'' in the armed forces.
Admiral Mullen endorsed the decision, said his spokesman John Kirby.
When Admiral Mullen served as chief of naval operations, he ordered a review of the issue but it was not completed before he took his current post as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The issue was hotly debated during Bill Clinton's presidency, when the navy secretary at the time urged a review of the ban but met with strong opposition from senior naval officers.
Women, who comprise about 15 per cent of the navy's officers and sailors, are also banned from serving in Navy SEAL special forces units.
* From: AFP
* February 24, 2010 1:18PM
THE US Navy has decided to allow women to serve on submarines, ending one of the last all-male bastions in the American military.
Defence Secretary Robert Gates approved the recommendation and sent letters to Congress informing members of the plan on Monday, officials said.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, had briefed Gates on the change and ``he's endorsed it and sent it on to Congress'', press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.
Members of congress have 30 days to comment on the move before it goes into effect, officials say.
American women can already serve on the navy's fleet of warships and fly fighter aircraft, but nuclear-powered subs have remained off limits.
US naval officers previously cited the extremely tight quarters of a submarine as the main reason for the prohibition, but those who favour lifting the ban say subs could be outfitted with separate berths and bathrooms.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
The decision calls for ``a phased approach to assigning women on submarines'', said a defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
One option under consideration would be to first allow female officers to serve on submarines, the official told Agence France-Presse.
That approach would involve less sweeping change as officers already have separate quarters from enlisted service members, the official said.
The first group of female officers selected for the duty would have to attend special training for submarines and for nuclear-powered vessels that takes more than a year, the official added.
Top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen first called for the change in written testimony to Congress last year, saying he wanted to ``continue to broaden opportunities for women'' in the armed forces.
Admiral Mullen endorsed the decision, said his spokesman John Kirby.
When Admiral Mullen served as chief of naval operations, he ordered a review of the issue but it was not completed before he took his current post as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The issue was hotly debated during Bill Clinton's presidency, when the navy secretary at the time urged a review of the ban but met with strong opposition from senior naval officers.
Women, who comprise about 15 per cent of the navy's officers and sailors, are also banned from serving in Navy SEAL special forces units.
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