The term "sea change" relates to transformation, and when one looks at recent discussions and decisions pertaining to the don't ask, don't tell (DADT) policy, coupled with the recently released results of a DoD study prepared by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, I have to say, "times they are a-changin."
The study mentioned above recommends that women, who now make up roughly 14 percent of the military, be allowed to serve in combat units...front-line fighters. Like the DATD discussions before congress and elsewhere, there will no doubt be similar discussions, both positive and negative, about permitting an expanded role for women in the military.
Personally, I was fortunate to have served alongside lots of women in engineer units I commanded, up to and including brigade level. True, we were not "front-line fighters" in the strictest definition of the words; but we well could have been, given the circumstances...at least we trained hard for such eventualities.
One aspect of the DoD's current policy pertaining to military roles open to women that I've never understood, involves aviation. Piloting an aircraft, with weapons onboard (which is OK for women), always seemed hard for me to distinguish from Infantry ground combat with an M-16 in hand (which is not OK for women).
Maybe all this will be sorted out over the next few years. I hope so.
