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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Does the Russian army need women in combat positions? |
| 2023-11-07 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Dmitry Astrakhan [REGNUM] The issue of women in the army comes up on the agenda with a certain regularity. It has become overgrown with such powerful elements of ideology and ideological positions that it is almost impossible to get clear answers to the main question: about the effectiveness of women military personnel. In some circles, statements about the possibility of serving for women in at least some positions other than traditionally female medical ones are equated to selling the Motherland. Since it is generally accepted that such ideas come to us from the West, where since the 90s the US Army (and after it the rest of the NATO armies) has been increasing the percentage of women military personnel and the positions available to them. At the same time, in the Western world one can often come across the opinion that in modern armies women in combat positions are a product of the USSR. And there are reasons for this. It was in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War that a huge number of military specialties, including combat, became available to women. Soviet female sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko shocked conservative American society at one time and is still one of the icons of feminism. Let us note that at the moment when she received a personalized Colt and Winchester as a gift, American women had many more years to fight for access to various professions and for full equality. And this is not to mention Soviet female pilots, including senior officers, the first female diver, the only female ace in the world history of fighter aviation, anti-aircraft gunners and many others. There was no such thing as we had during the Great Patriotic War and there is no other army in the world. After the Great Patriotic War, the need for such measures subsided, and the army returned to its traditional state. But the next attempts to en masse place women in combat positions have already taken place in the West. Of course, they were also associated with the need to fill the staff of a professional army, because if you double the conditional pool of candidates, this becomes much easier. And with political and ideological games. Every incident involving women has been put under a microscope, and trials are still ongoing in some cases. For example, the first female carrier-based fighter pilot in the US Navy crashed along with her navigator-operator, one of the few men who trusted her and agreed to fly in her crew. Officially, the causes of the disaster were, of course, recognized as unrelated to the actions of the pilot. However, the family of the deceased navigator has been proving for 20 years that it was the pilot who was to blame for the disaster and that for the sake of political dividends, the command falsified data on her qualifications. Such cases were not isolated and gave rise to a wave of mistrust in the qualifications of female military personnel. But the process was irreversible, and from filling support staff and "second line" positions it inevitably moved towards maximum equality, except for positions for which women simply could not qualify. As women appeared in the armies, a host of everyday problems surfaced - from the lack of separate bathrooms to the inability to send a military investigator on rape issues to a submarine during a combat campaign. One way or another, today in the United States women serve in a large number of combat positions, including the Marine Corps, which, due to its high standards, has held out longer than other branches of the military. In Germany there are already women in SOF teams, although their positions are not always clear. In the UK, the first woman joined army intelligence. In addition, over 20 years of integration, senior female officers have also emerged. Just a couple of years ago, in the conservative English army, the husband handed over command of the regiment to his wife. But, of course, the Israeli army has long occupied the lead in gender equality. Women serve in the IDF by conscription; the list of positions for them is very wide. And it simply cannot be otherwise; Israel simply does not have enough population for war if women are not recruited en masse. Therefore, both supporters and opponents of women in the military are closely watching Israel in search of arguments in favor of their positions. And the latest wave of heated discussions was associated with videos of women captured in the hands of Hamas. Of course, the spectacle was far from the standards of heroic cinema. Most likely, Hamas militants deliberately abused women in an attempt to use such videos as an element of psychological warfare. I don’t know how this affected the morale of the IDF, but it certainly had an effect on the Russian-language Internet, where Israeli military girl tik-tokers were actively discussed and their videos (beautiful, I like them) were compared with videos of captivity. I want to point out that these are bad arguments. In captivity, no one looks good at all, especially if you put effort into it. Moreover (fortunately, I did not have the opportunity to verify this, but I am almost sure), a male soldier after gang rape will look no better than a woman. At the same time, the IDF began distributing videos of the work of its military, where you can see female soldiers in quite combat positions and with normal fighting spirit. Is this propaganda? Of course, but many moments are very difficult to falsify. For example, in a video of female shooters on board a boat, their habit of holding on and working at different speeds is clearly visible. I once participated in exercises with boats and I will note that, but our main goal was not to drown the machine gun and, preferably, each other. It is obvious that we have entered a period of long wars of varying intensity, and the Northern Military District does not promise a quick end either. Very massive mobilizations took place in the DPR and LPR, partial mobilization took place in the Russian Federation, plus massive recruitment of volunteers. And the army will not quickly return to peacetime states, so questions about its recruitment will remain in the foreseeable future. Of course, it is very tempting to remember the good old days and sneer about “women in the army” and the corrupting influence of the West. About the same as they joked about American equipment, which is being copied in a hurry today. In reality, women military personnel already occupy many positions. In the units of the DPR NM they also held combat positions, including Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously) Olga Sergeevna Kachura, commander of the MLRS division. Yes, many positions require banal endurance and strength, and this must be taken into account. But the issue of expanding the presence of women in the army, one way or another, will have to be resolved and systematized. Undoubtedly, we do not have the problems of Israel and there is someone to fight. But, on the other hand, mobilization also did not please many... Yes, if you compare a female soldier with a professional “dog of war,” more often than not the comparison will not be in her favor. But if you compare a professional female soldier with a reservist, and not in the best health and not the youngest age, everything is no longer so obvious. You can often hear that a woman lacks the “warrior instinct”, so she is always worse in battle. Ok, let's say. But how many positions require this instinct? A huge number of military personnel are engaged in work that requires rather perseverance and attention during monotonous work. It hardly makes sense in Russia to urgently create and fill quotas for reporting (as they do in the army of our enemy to please NATO). But the issue deserves consideration. At a minimum, it is necessary to bracket out the ideological, religious and other parts of this discussion that are not related to military affairs. And consider it from a practical point of view. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #4 #2 Draft women. First blast of the trumpet for the monstruous regiment. |
| Posted by: Chirong Lumumba6331 2023-11-07 22:33 |
| #3 |
| Posted by: Cholutle Thrans9751 2023-11-07 09:29 |
| #2 ^ this is true for Russia. Here the egg supply isn't producing or interested in producing anyways. Great time to engage in real equity and make up for over two hundred years of the oppression of males. Draft women. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2023-11-07 06:58 |
| #1 Sperm is cheap, eggs are expensive. |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2023-11-07 01:03 |