[Kissaki]

Originally Posted by Beery

Oh please! You make it seem like men are subhuman. It's insulting to suggest that I lose my basic reason when I'm in a room with another woman. Heck, if what you're saying was true, there would be no such thing as monogamy, because none of us would be able to maintain self-control for more than 5 minutes when we were placed in a situation with another woman where our wives were not present. What you're suggesting is beyond ridiculous, and it's insulting to men. I'm sorry, but I am perfectly capable of rational thought when surrounded by women, and I assure you I can control my urge to mate. If any man cannot, then I suggest he needs to seek professional help.

Five minutes? Try a month. Try a year. I was on a minelayer with a crew of 50, including only three girls. One was a cook, another a steward's mate and the third a navigator. None of them got much attention at first, but as time progressed they grew more and more attractive. You must remember that most of us were young men - boys, really - aged 19-23, with all the pros and cons that entails. At that age we were rather shallow (and we were Navy, too), so you'll have to excuse our hormone levels at the time.

In any case, romantic relationships were inevitable, and one of the girls even told me that some of the married officers had even made passes at her (while they were drunk, that is).

Furthermore, I don't care how hard you train - certain instincts can't be untrained, certainly not with any methods currently employed. Robot soldiers is Hollywood. If you look at any species of mammals, you'll be able to observe the male's protective instincts of the female. That's a really big problem, because it causes men to be over-protective of women in combat, and take unnecessary risks. This is why combat hardened Israel don't mix their frontline troops anymore (correct me if I'm wrong, Avon Lady - 'tis what I've been told).

And then of course there's the mating instinct. In an outfit of men and women, there will be romantic ties. Romantic ties within the same unit can - and typically will - lead to unprofessional behaviour.

I also have the fortune of knowing quite a few people with special forces background, and many of them with real combat experience. And it should come as no surprise that after an action, they need to relieve stress. And sex is the best (certainly the most tempting) stress relief.

I can't state too often how unrealistic it is to train someone to disregard their primal urges short of castration. That's like training someone not to pee, ever.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for women in the military. But history has shown (WWII Russians, for instance) that same-sex units are the most efficient. A unit of only women will be considerably more efficient than a mixed unit. Men and women also think and learn differently, and take different paths to reach the same goal. A training programme which is optimal for men might not be optimal for women, and vice versa.


A last comment: it's not so much a problem for a man when he's surrounded by women. It's when there's a shortage of women that the problem arises. Ten men and only one woman - that's competition.