Thursday, January 24, 2013

Military Intelligence and Foggy Bottom

Proving that the term "Military Intelligence" is, as the wags note, all too often a contradiction in terms, the Pentagon is responding to sky-high rates of pregnancy and rape of female soldiers, sailors, and airmen by opening up combat roles to women.  Lessee.....let's put a few women into platoons where the men are lonely, scared, and bored.  What could possibly go wrong?

Update: it turns out that Panetta's/Obama's move comes only months after the first two female lieutenants allowed to attempt Marine Corps infantry training washed out, one on the first day and the other before the third week of the 13 week course was out.

In response, they're (sigh) pushing for "gender neutral" physical standards.  Because it's not like infantrymen carry 100 lb. packs and march 20 miles in a day, or fight hand to hand, or need the strength to pull a wounded comrade out of the line of fire or anything like that.

Along the same lines, it appears that intelligence is scarce in the State Department and Congress as well.  Confronted with a situation where four Americans were killed, no one asked the obvious question; faced with a shortage of funds for dedicated security staff, wouldn't an obvious and cheap alternative have been to send a courier with a few guns for the SEALS who were killed that tragic day? 

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