Women's Equality in the Military - It's Official

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has announced that the U.S. military will make its default policy one of equality for women. No general class of jobs, including combat-related positions, will be off-limits to female soldiers once a transition phase is completed. (Apparently, some case-by-case exclusions may continue.)

It's about time!

People are individuals most of all, and it is rare for any skill-based job to be one that only people of one sex can perform. It's a principle of rational individualism to judge people by their abilities and actions, not by their race, sex, hair color, or any other less essential characteristic. It is right, just, and is the most effective policy to employ those most qualified on objective grounds.

But now, a new challenge may arise. In many fields, the opening of opportunity to excluded groups, including women, has quickly lead to collectivist benchmarking. The military currently insists that each solider be objectively qualified for the work he or she does. But how soon will it become imperative to include more women, no matter how standards must be twisted? How soon will people just ask why the percentage of women is not such-and-such, rather than asking whether an objective process of assessment has been applied to all soldiers in all positions.

Still, for now, let's congratulate the Joint Chiefs of Staff for taking this long-needed step forward.

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