Does Ashton Carter’s decision override all of this?
It wouldn’t surprise me. Dictate! That’s the Obama Way.
Putting mixed squads of males and females in front-line, high-risk confrontation with enemy forces is a certain recipe for disaster.
At a very basic level, this greatly complicates the dynamics of how the members of the squad interact with each other, and no amount of political correctness or gender sensitivity training is ever going to overcome some, or even any, of the objectionable traits of such a forced juncture of twisted logic.
Females are not by nature or nurture, born killers, and only very few men ever acquire the necessary mindset and skills to carry out the job competently and well, even on the short term. And this is not a life anyone should be committed to for years at a time. In fact, the life expectancy once battle is engaged may be measured in minutes if not seconds. That some do survive is more a testimonial to sheer luck than to the sure and swift application to the task at hand of skills and judgment of almost superhuman nature. There are just too many variables to anticipate every one. Given enough time, everybody’s luck eventually runs out. Even “last man standing” may be carrying mortal wounds.