Women in combat....The professionals waited too long to engage...

via Marine Corps Times...

So the game becomes “curiouser and curiouser.” But it’s not really a game after all, is it? This contest has been life and death in places like Fallujah, An Najaf, Normandy, Pork Chop Hill and Bloody Nose Ridge — places the social engineers can't even imagine, and don’t want to. In the safety of the protection afforded by the rough men who serve them, "diversity is strength" may indeed be a true and noble ideal. In the cauldron of sustained combat, “fairness” is harmful delusion.
Maybe, just maybe, the people’s representatives will step in and act to protect their constitutional prerogatives and inject some reality missing so far in this critical contest of ideas. If not, the “Off with their heads!” approach will prevail. A “wonderland” indeed.

The above is just a tidbit written by Retired Marine Corps General Newbold.  But wait there's more!  via National Interest...

Consequently, before it is too late, Congress should direct the Department of Defense to examine how women can be fairly groomed for strategic leadership positions. Congress should tell DoD to investigate who men will and won’t follow, at what levels, and why. Chances are excellent that so long as Commanding General Jane proves capable of deep strategic thinking, no one will care that she never kicked in a door. Finally, we the American people should insist that all discussion about equities be divorced from faux-feminism. Otherwise, decision makers in DoD are going to wreck the integrity of tactical units for the sake of a chimera.
We don’t need Special Forces teams, SEAL platoons and infantry squadrons to reflect society’s makeup. We need them to remain superlative at protecting it. Period.

The writer?  Anna Simons, a professor at Naval Post Graduate School.

The problem?

They professionals waited too late to engage.  They sat silent while Haynie and the others at USNI Blog (and other news sites/blogs) filled the air ways with nonsense, pulled heartstrings and spouted stupidity.

Only now, after the issue is all but decided they engage.  It's too little too late.  Failure to act is making a decision to do nothing.  Failing to act in a timely manner is just as bad.

Sidenote:  General Newbold's statement (the part I highlighted) should chill the hearts of those that suffer from "normalcy bias".  That's a member of the military (and let's be honest...political) elite sounding pretty damn revolutionary.  If his opinions reflect those of his "club" (and I'm sure they do...I have it on good authority that they act as one, building consensus behind closed doors) and since we know the rank & file are pissed then the divide between the military and their civilian masters is about to explode.  Recruiting and retention is about to become a bitch!