From: dpe@inel.gov (Don Palmrose)
Subject: Re: Women in Combat
Organization: INEL EG&G Idaho
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 15:14:32 GMT

In article <1992Nov11.205408.9168@news.columbia.edu>, dan@cubmol.bio.columbia.edu (Daniel Zabetakis) writes:
> 
> 
>     Recently there has been much talk of women and thier role in combat
> here in the US.
> 
> DanZ
> 
> 

There have been several posting so far on this question generally all of them
with good comments.  Here are mine:

The current trouble with all that has been going on in the last 3 months
(election babble and the Federal District court re-instating the gay sailor)
is that this is being forced on the US military and for them to do it *now*.
With Clinton's election and promise to do away with the homosexual ban and
Rep. Pat Schroider (sp?) probably having a say with military matters in the
Clinton administration, the military will not have time to ensure the smooth
integration of such radical shift in personnel policies.

It is clear to this US Naval Reserve officer that forcing the acceptance 
will cause major problems.  However, if it is done with a well thought out
plan that is accomplished over at least two years, the impact may be minimal.

Here is what I would like to see in such a plan:

1.  Re-writing the Unified Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to make it 
extremely clear to all what constitutes sexual harrassment and the penalties
involved (to include gays making unwanted advances to non-gays).

2.  There will required rather intensive training to the whole military
structure on the proper behavior of each member to one another covering all
bases (unwanted advances, sexual harrassment, sexual discrimination, etc.)

3.  For women to serve on warships, major changes are required in delineating
the normal day-to-day procedures, for making proper berthing arrangements, etc.
What I mean here is that if a male sailor must enter a woman's berthing space
and vice versa in order to carry-out an assigned job, certain safeguards must
be followed to prevent any possible sexual-based charge from even happening.
Also, special care must be taken that privacy can be enforced.  US Navy
warships are not currently designed to keep someone walking down a passageway
and not be able to look into a berthing compartment or shower area without 
seeing people in their birthday suits.  This is not an easy problem to solve.
Much of the berthing compartments are all located in the same area using a
common head (bathroom for you land-lubbers).

I can think of several other items but time constraints are pulling on me.
My last comment is that no matter what Clinton does, IMO major discipline
problems will have to be faced.  In particular, if a gay sailor is not a good 
performer and the workcenter supervisor tells this sailor that they need to
get their act together and they cannot leave the ship until the current job
is done right, the gay brings sexual harrassment/discrimination charges
against that supervisor.  It can be rather intimidating to be constantly being
charged by two or three sailors.  Such incidents are happening today along
racial lines and I'm sure that such a tactic will be used by gay sailors to
get their way, especially with a simpathetic administration in the White House.

All in all, I fear Clinton will cave to the special interest groups on this
issue and not implement a sound and smooth transition policy to a new military
manpower structure.  I hope that I am wrong on this one.

Don Palmrose
"I'd rather not serve on a ship designed to sink...."





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