Posted on Aug 4, 2015
Women In Field Artillery, In The United States Army. Is This The Way Forward?
45.3K
158
54
23
23
0
In my opinion the Army is heading in the right direction (equality for all).
In a recent Armytimes Artice:
The Army plans to open to women all but one field artillery MOS, the service's top officer said Monday.
With the exception of the 13F military occupational specialty, "we have decided … we are not going to ask for a waiver to keep it closed," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno.
This decision, which opens up MOSs such as cannon crewmember (13B) and field artillery automated tactical data system specialist (13D), comes just weeks after the Army opened the combat engineer (12B) MOS to women.
It also follows a decision from more than a year ago to open all field artillery officer positions to women.
A decision about the 13F, or fire support specialist, MOS will be made when the Army makes a decision about whether to open the infantry and armor specialties to women, Odierno said.
"We're going to do that with infantry and armor because they're embedded with infantry and armor units," Odierno said.
These changes are the latest in an ongoing campaign to eliminate the Direct Ground Combat Assignment Rule by dismantling, in phases, policies that have barred women from serving in combat units below the brigade level.
The campaign began in 2012 when the Army opened 13,000 positions previously closed to women; the goal is to open most positions to women by the end of 2015.
Since 2012, the Army has conducted extensive tests as it tried to determine which MOSs should be opened to women and how it should be done.
"We've done a lot of pilot programs, we've done a lot of physical testing, we've done a lot of testing on how we integrate women into units, and those are all going well," Odierno said. "We want the best person, if they're qualified and meet the standards, we want to give them the opportunity to do whatever they want."
For the field artillery MOSs, using data from the physical studies, "we felt women, as part of an artillery crew, could do all the things necessary to do that [job], so we've opened that up," Odierno said.
Army senior leaders have not made a decision about whether they will ask for a waiver to keep infantry and armor closed to women, he said.
"We're headed in the right direction, but we still have some work to do," said Odierno, who is wrapping up his tenure as chief of staff later this month. "That was a decision I wanted to make, but, frankly, we didn't have the data in time for me to make that decision."
The decision about those remaining MOSs will fall to Odierno's successor, Gen. Mark Milley, who is pending Senate confirmation.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/2015/08/03/odierno-army-open-most-field-artillery-jobs-women/31083303/
In a recent Armytimes Artice:
The Army plans to open to women all but one field artillery MOS, the service's top officer said Monday.
With the exception of the 13F military occupational specialty, "we have decided … we are not going to ask for a waiver to keep it closed," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno.
This decision, which opens up MOSs such as cannon crewmember (13B) and field artillery automated tactical data system specialist (13D), comes just weeks after the Army opened the combat engineer (12B) MOS to women.
It also follows a decision from more than a year ago to open all field artillery officer positions to women.
A decision about the 13F, or fire support specialist, MOS will be made when the Army makes a decision about whether to open the infantry and armor specialties to women, Odierno said.
"We're going to do that with infantry and armor because they're embedded with infantry and armor units," Odierno said.
These changes are the latest in an ongoing campaign to eliminate the Direct Ground Combat Assignment Rule by dismantling, in phases, policies that have barred women from serving in combat units below the brigade level.
The campaign began in 2012 when the Army opened 13,000 positions previously closed to women; the goal is to open most positions to women by the end of 2015.
Since 2012, the Army has conducted extensive tests as it tried to determine which MOSs should be opened to women and how it should be done.
"We've done a lot of pilot programs, we've done a lot of physical testing, we've done a lot of testing on how we integrate women into units, and those are all going well," Odierno said. "We want the best person, if they're qualified and meet the standards, we want to give them the opportunity to do whatever they want."
For the field artillery MOSs, using data from the physical studies, "we felt women, as part of an artillery crew, could do all the things necessary to do that [job], so we've opened that up," Odierno said.
Army senior leaders have not made a decision about whether they will ask for a waiver to keep infantry and armor closed to women, he said.
"We're headed in the right direction, but we still have some work to do," said Odierno, who is wrapping up his tenure as chief of staff later this month. "That was a decision I wanted to make, but, frankly, we didn't have the data in time for me to make that decision."
The decision about those remaining MOSs will fall to Odierno's successor, Gen. Mark Milley, who is pending Senate confirmation.
http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/2015/08/03/odierno-army-open-most-field-artillery-jobs-women/31083303/
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 32
First clean up the attitudes that a person thinks they can rape violently, sabotage careers, health and life and will not be held accountable. Correct the ganging up on a soldier that has reported crimes. Correct all the pre-plan intentional attacks, sabotage, orchestrated harms and retaliations, just because the person is mad due to the victim reporting & reaching out for help! And allow the person that was harmed legal help that protects their rights! It will only be our demise if we keep allowing groups of only certain people to block training. If all dies and those are left they need to at least be trained! This hierarchy degrading type of mentality only encourages bias, attack on own, destruction of a person's life and will cause many others to be hurt! Soldiers that were violently attacked & raped should have received legal help that protected their rights not just the criminals and allowing many others to orchestrated great harm. Making changes, only because America wants the rape cultural to be corrected is wrong it should be about survival & staying alive! But we know there are too many that do not care!!! Legal help for soldiers & veterans to protect their rights, not just only the ones that hurt them!!!
(3)
(0)
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SGT Karen Scott thank you for your remarkable heart felt response. Well said and articulately conveyed.
(2)
(0)
Frankly there are plenty of women who can do the job as well as men. If they can do it, I say let them!
(3)
(0)
There were female officers in my Field Artillery Officers Basic Course back in 1986. None of them could choose FA, and were branch detailed, but a handful were there. Most of the female officers were able to do all the male dominated physical tasks during the course field training, some better than others and one better than many males. By the time most made Captain, they went to their assigned branches. I am certain enlisted women can fit in as well. Field living may be a challenge at first, as sections bunk together. Time will tell.
(3)
(0)
Women are the most fiercest warriors in the world, they can make life and take life. and your "POINT IS" ???
(2)
(0)
We had a female 13A 2LT in our Brigade. Great officer. From what the Battalion Commander said, she was one of his best Platoon Leaders. Seems like it works to me. That was 1.5 years ago. The world didn't fall apart and burn. She did a hell of a job and will be a great Field Artillery officer.
(2)
(0)
2003 I was at Victory Base, Baghdad. I was told to coordinate with a British soldier to get over night billets for some British troops passing through. The Brit SGT(female) and I got everything squared away. On the way out, I asked her what her real job in the army was. "I'm a gun bunny" was her reply!
(2)
(0)
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SGM Mikel Dawson great thread with the emphasis on Field Artillery.....Sweet!!
(2)
(0)
Don't relax the standards and if any person qualifies for the duty then let them do it.
(2)
(0)
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SMSgt Bryan Raines I wholeheartedly agree with you. Equality means equal standards across the board.
(1)
(0)
yes, I disagree, if a women was to be in male jobs than allow, allow others to decided for themselves
(1)
(0)
I’ve seen multiple rotations with them now and I will admit I had some preconceived notions that they dispelled. I had one female PFC from Bliss who was cornfed and strong and could out ruck most men. Just like men, some will be subpar. But in all honesty thus far it seems the ones with the intestinal fortitude to step up did so for a reason and seem to be more motivated than most of their counterparts.
(1)
(0)
Read This Next


Leadership
Army
Women in the Military
13F: Fire Support Specialist
