U.S. special operations forces are encountering "training challenges" because of budget cuts that come just as Special Operations Command scrambles to integrate women into the military’s most demanding combat jobs.
The Washington Times reported:
The new challenge is tucked inside President Obama’s 2017 defense budget. It states that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and its 69,000 personnel are up against "training challenges" and is seeing "minor impacts to the forces’ ability to accomplish missions" that could grow worse. Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs face some limits on training due to cutbacks in fleet and training range operations, according to a budget overview document sent to Congress last week. ... "One of USSOCOM’s greatest concerns is the potential impact of fiscal reductions in military departments’ readiness, which directly affects SOF," the Obama budget says. "The USSOCOM has already witnessed reductions to the military departments that negatively affect SOF in a variety of ways."
The threats to readiness posed by budget restrictions come at a time when the U.S. special operations community also faces the challenge of incorporating women into combat units.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the military to open up all combat jobs to female service members in December, and SOCOM has until spring to begin allowing women to tryout for its elite jobs.
In his decision, Carter appeared to ignore a study that found that about 85 percent of men serving in Navy SEAL, Army Delta, and other special operations units opposed opening up special operations positions to women. They worried that integrating women into the demanding combat roles would harm their effectiveness, result in lower standards, and risk driving men away from the positions, according to the Rand Corporation study.
Concerns about integrating women into combat roles have been fueled by research from the Marine Corps. An in-depth study conducted by the service found that women were injured twice as often as men, less accurate with weapons, and not as successful at removing injured troops from the battlefield.