How do you feel about the Army directing units to place new female Armor and Infantry officers in leadership positions ahead of males?

And when we said this would happen we were laughed at..

I think this is a terrible idea and the Army is breaking it's promise to uphold standards. This lacks integrity and is an insult to the hard work or soldiers and young leaders put in. It's bad for morale and also damages the credibility of the females that are now under scrutiny for unfair advancement. Policies like this are against the Army core values.

Ideally, to qualify for the position of armor and infantry platoon leader, gender should be irrelevant.

Dunno how it works, currently, but why not fit new candidates who qualify to be in line for leadership positions (in this case females) into infantry units in the way it is already done?

If I was making the decision it would be performance based first (which includes experience in an infantry unit). . . but when there are a number of individuals who qualify, which makes prioritization by performance difficult, then, all things being equal, seniority would apply.

Perhaps the first issue to consider regarding gender equality for woman who qualify to be in infantry units, would be for women to first have the opportunity to gain experience in infantry units. Then they would have an equal opportunity to vie for performance based selection.

Anytime we move away from our meritocracy, (performance-based promotion) it will cause dissention in the ranks. And it should. Move the best forward. Nothing else matters.

If you want superiors, peers and subordinates to question your abilities have the Army provide special rules for you and rules for others. Each person must earn their position. All leadership positions are a privilege and should be viewed as such. It is not a "right" to lead, you have to earn it every day. HOWEVER, the Army should protect the system from abuse by the "old guard" to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to compete for these coveted leadership positions. I feel that it is unfair to the females that skip over platoon leader positions to become Company Commanders. Each position is a developmental position for the next level of command. To skip a level will lead to having your subordinates and superiors questioning your decisions. Why stop at Company Command and jump right up to Battalion or Brigade command? Because of experience. I wish everyone that wears the green tab the best of luck in their assignment and that they enjoy the challenges of leadership and the joys of command for as long as they can, whatever gender they are.

As I've always felt, may the best person lead.

Religion, sex, race is irrelevant.

But forcing the matter is a political statement and morally wrong.

Situations like this one happen in law enforcement too. People that do not deserve a promotion or are paced in a position that they do not deserve (or haven't paid their dues). This sends a wrong message to the young troops that want to promote and go into special details; Why work and study hard if it doesn't make a difference since THEY will pick who they want anyways.....Semper Fi!

It doesn't matter what you, I, or anyone else thinks. THIS IS THE AGENDA; get on board or get run over.

What is the 'Agenda'? To 'prove' that XX is better/superior to XY... This is why we're being force-fed a president that is wholly unfit (morally/physically/mentally) to lead our country. It's not about qualifications! It's about ascending to the highest plateau regardless of consequences. The main stream media propaganda machine is completely in the tank for her, and the electoral college has already decided that your vote doesn't count and we WILL have a female president.

Gender barriers in the military were an incredibly easy obstacle to overcome and are simply an irreversible stepping stone to achieving this objective. Shut up and color, DoD; logic, statistics, readiness, and lethality be damned.

Actually it doesn't really matter. No Armor "Louie" I have ever had knows his (no potentially her) ass from a hole in the ground. I only say this on the subject, and it's what I've said about every issue of this nature since it raised it's ugly head. THIS IS ONLY AN ISSUE BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN MADE ONE. Throw her ass in the fire, if she walks out she can be "The Mother of Dragons" if she doesn't it'll eat her alive.
Armor Corps is not for everyone, man or woman. Not everyone can do the job, physically or mentally. I have NO PROBLEM with ANY SOLDIER, man or woman, gay straight bi trans, black white yellow or brown, as long as you're in the RIGHT PLACE, at the RIGHT TIME, with the RIGHT ATTITUDE, you DO YOUR DAMN JOB!!!! to the standard and carry your weight, we're good.
You fail at any of that and I'll be on your ass with the thunder and I won't care about your gender race or orientation then either. The 1SG's an Equal Opportunity ass chewer and I will expect nothing less than the excellence demanded in our profession, because that 70 Tons of Death and Mayhem doesn't care who it kills, their gender, race, or orientation.
So wanna command the tank, lead the armored cavalry to glory, come get some. but do what every Lou should, dont' come in to prove yourself, come in to learn, absorb everything, listen, perfect your skills in Armor and Leadership, then you can "PROVE" everyone who doubted you wrong by succeeding where you were told you could not!

"Treat em' Rough!"
1SG Joseph R Lee III
"Thunder 9" (Armor)
HHC, 155th ABCT

The same way I feel about selecting members of various minority groups ahead of their colleagues based on anything other than merit—an idea close to insanity. You may recall that at the start of the Civil War many officers were appointed because of their political connections; this produced what some have"50 of the worst military leaders in the history of warfare. This will cause ongoing doubts about whether the new female platoon leader was selected because she finished at the top of her class at the officers' basic course or because she belongs to a poliitically favored sex. Even if she did finish at the top of her class, there will always be the question of whether there was another reason why she was sekected as a leader.