US Navy Approves Women on Submarines

Female US service personnel may be allowed to serve on submarines, it has emerged. Approval for this has been given by the US Defence Department and the measure now awaits Congressional comment prior to being put into motion at the end of March.

The emergence of this news coincided with comments made by the US Army’s Chief of Staff, who stated that current limits placed on women serving within the US military should be re-assessed. At present, female troops cannot officially serve on the front line but – said General George Casey – re-evaluation of this is required.

“I believe it's time that we take a look at what women are actually doing in Iraq and Afghanistan”, General Casey advised US Congress, adding: “And then we look at our policies.”

US Navy Women

The US Navy employs in excess of 330,000 service personnel, of which 15 per cent are women, but while they are allowed to be deployed aboard warships, submarines have always been off-limits. The reasons for this – according to officials – include the limited amount of space within submarines, but it is possible that – in the future – the living areas in the submarines will be compartmentalised, to keep men and women apart.

The introduction of women into submarines will likely take place gradually, and probably not begin for another 12 months at minimum, due to extensive training requirements.

Women: Submarine Crews

A number of nations already permit women to form part of submarine crews: Australia, Norway, Sweden and Spain among them.

There are four different types of submarines in the US Navy: Ohio Class submarines (of which there are 18), Virginia Class (5), Seawolf Class (3) and Los Angeles Class (49). Around 60,000 US Navy personnel are involved in their operations, overall.

Responding to the news, women’s rights organisation the National Women’s Law Center welcomed it and referred to it as “long overdue.”

"Women have proven their value and valor under fire in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is past time to recognize and reward their contributions by removing all barriers to their military service”, the group’s co-president, Nancy Duff Campbell, stated.