Last week some of the U.S. Army’s top leaders fired social justice rhetorical salvos at Fox News host Tucker Carlson after he suggested President Joe Biden wanted to “feminize” the military.
Then, the military proved Carlson right.
The Telegraph of London reported on Saturday that the Army was weighing scrapping a new “gender-neutral” physical fitness test because women were failing at excessive rates.
The Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT, which held men and women to the same standards, encompassed six events: the maximum deadlift, a standing power throw, hand-release push-ups, a sprint, drag and carry, leg tuck, and a two-mile run.
The passing grade was 360 points out of a possible 600. And, as The Telegraph noted, “those who achieve higher scores are more likely to be promoted.”
A Pentagon review of the test found that “women were failing the ACFT at a rate of 65 percent, while only 10 percent of men did,” according to The Telegraph.
On average, women scored 100 points lower than men.
“Congress has halted implementation of the new test and the Army has launched an independent review into whether it is fair,” the paper noted.
Those who led the charge to block the until the review was complete were Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.
One issue appears to be the “leg tuck,” which required soldiers to hang from a bar and tucking legs to their chest. The Telegraph pointed out that now “soldiers will instead be given the option of doing a two-minute plank exercise.
“Early research showed female soldiers’ scores were improving with the plank option.” In other words, they softened the test to allow for women not being up to the same task.
Military.com quoted one unnamed Army officials, who said, “We have to figure out a way to make it fair to both genders. We need a fair way that accounts for physiological differences.”
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But that would only make things worse, according to Capt. Kristen Griest, the Army’s first female infantry officer and one of the first two women to graduate from the Army’s elite Ranger School.
Writing for the U.S. Military Academy’s Modern War Institute, Greist revealed that she understands the issue far better than the Biden Pentagon – or at least as far as the Biden Pentagon will admit.
She argued that women who want to be in combat units must be held to the same standard as men on physical fitness tests.
“The entire purpose of creating a gender-neutral test was to acknowledge the reality that each job has objective physical standards to which all soldiers should be held, regardless of gender. The intent was not to ensure that women and men will have an equal likelihood of meeting those standards,” Greist wrote.
“Rather, it is incumbent upon women who volunteer for the combat arms profession to ensure they are fully capable and qualified for it. To not require women to meet equal standards in combat arms will not only undermine their credibility, but also place those women, their teammates, and the mission at risk.”
“The Army cannot artificially absolve women of that responsibility. It may still exist on the battlefield.”
“While the equity question must be addressed, the answer is not to implement gender-based scoring or reduce the minimum standards for combat arms,” Greist added.
“Doing so would have both immediate and insidious impacts on combat effectiveness, as well as on women’s credibility and potential. … (O)nce the Army determines the right standard to which soldiers should train, the final version of the ACFT should hold men and women in combat arms to it equally and should maintain branch-based minimum standards. Failing to do so will further marginalize women in these units rather than protect them, and will hurt the Army rather than prepare it.”
This story was written by a U.S. Army Veteran and Edited by a U.S. Army Veteran.
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The D3MOCRAP PARTY has RUINED the U.S. Military! You can FORGET about the U.S. winning another war. They have only won 1 conflict since WWII! I will give them credit for the first Gulf War taking Kuwait back from Saddam, but we didn’t go far enough. Everything else in the Midfle East has become a stalemate in my opinion. Granada was won during Reagan’s term but they faced a more harden enemy, which included Russian adversaries! The U.S. Military will never defeat China or Russia. Until recently it wasn’t the man or woman doing the fighting, it was the top echelons sitting on their asses back in Washington! Now, unfortunately, it will be those doing the fighting also. Being a Viet Nam vet, and with a knowledge of military history, I know a little bit of what I am talking about. My dad was also a WWII veteran fighting the Getmsns in France Central Europe and in Germany! He was awarded 4 Bronze stars, but never said anything about them.. He also helped to liberate the BELSEN Concentration camp! My mom worked in Wadhington D.C. during the war in the Intelligence field.. She never told us kids what she did as she was sworn to secrecy! Both parents have passed. They WERE MEMBERS OF THE GREATEST GENERATION! LOOKAT US NOW!! LOOK HOW FAR WE HAVE FALLEN. A CRYING DAMN SHAME!