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Female U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan ‘Encouraged’ to Wear Hijab

Now that I've read other posts on this thread, I have some second thoughts. I mistakenly thought that the women were being encouraged to wear this head scarves when they were in safe zones; now I see that the military is suggesting they wear them all the time...bright colorful scarves? [/U]
Does seem to work against the whole notion of camouflage doesn't it?
 
Sure does. Also allows the enemy to target females. What's up with that??

Do know that Females don't do foot Patrols right?
 
If only modern warfare was actually as simple as that...


There is nothing "simple" about fighting a war. Every war is different because they each deal with different circumstances, people, eras etc. It's the staying focused part that should remain a constant.
 
Sure does. Also allows the enemy to target females. What's up with that??
What's a little extra danger for women if it means making people feel more comfortable around us? ;)
 
There is nothing "simple" about fighting a war. Every war is different because they each deal with different circumstances, people, eras etc. It's the staying focused part that should remain a constant.

In a counterinsurgency, the "staying focused" part doesn't exclude interacting with the local population, especially when you need their help to identify who the bad guys are and who is planting the IEDs.
 
Do know that Females don't do foot Patrols right?

Doesn't mean that they can't be targeted though, right? Correct me if I'm wrong but it's not like all females stay inside the wire all the time.
 
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Do know that Females don't do foot Patrols right?

I don't even know what a foot patrol is, honestly. I'm thinking like -- there's 8 soldiers in an open truck...or 8 soldiers in a group -- and that scarves would tell the enemy who of the group were female. I seem to remember that soldiers don't salute their superiors when in harm's way. My thoughts are a little like that...
 
Now that I've read other posts on this thread, I have some second thoughts. I mistakenly thought that the women were being encouraged to wear this head scarves when they were in safe zones; now I see that the military is suggesting they wear them all the time...bright colorful scarves? Maybe we should have all company commanders wear some identifying insignia when they're in harm's way.

I hope our American women in Afghanistan who choose to wear them choose helmet-matching scarves....and take them off when the bullets start to fly. It seems odd to me that the military would suggest that women identify themselves in battle.

Yeah, and in a country that is known for oppressing women and committing some atrosity against them and/or murdering them, they want to draw attention to female soldiers. In a country where the male ego is so fagile it has to slaughter girls and/or women for whatever God knows reason. In a country where females are the indangered species, so to speak.
 
Doesn't mean that they can't be targeted though, right? Correct me if I'm wrong but it's not like all females stay inside the wire all the time.

For the most part they do.
 
Now that I've read other posts on this thread, I have some second thoughts. I mistakenly thought that the women were being encouraged to wear this head scarves when they were in safe zones; now I see that the military is suggesting they wear them all the time...bright colorful scarves? Maybe we should have all company commanders wear some identifying insignia when they're in harm's way.

I hope our American women in Afghanistan who choose to wear them choose helmet-matching scarves....and take them off when the bullets start to fly. It seems odd to me that the military would suggest that women identify themselves in battle.

I think the problem is here that "safe zones" are a subjective term. As long as one is outside a fortified base, any other place could be a danger zone. I think women are being encouraged to wear these scarves because in certain roles they also must interact and build relationships with the locals, and female troops are often useful when it comes to searching women. I do agree that if this policy is implemented in a way that compromises their safety, then I am opposed to it.
 
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I don't even know what a foot patrol is, honestly. I'm thinking like -- there's 8 soldiers in an open truck...or 8 soldiers in a group -- and that scarves would tell the enemy who of the group were female. I seem to remember that soldiers don't salute their superiors when in harm's way. My thoughts are a little like that...

There are no open vehicles in use. Females are easily I.D. with out them.
 
In a counterinsurgency, the "staying focused" part doesn't exclude interacting with the local population, especially when you need their help to identify who the bad guys are and who is planting the IEDs.

Then put them in dresses and see how focused the enemy will be. They can interact without putting on some scarf because that's the way the men of that country have ordered their women to do. Please........
 
Then put them in dresses and see how focused the enemy will be. They can interact without putting on some scarf because that's the way the men of that country have ordered their women to do. Please........

They could, but as the saying goes, "when in Rome..." Unless the safety of female troops is compromised, I don't see how it can hurt more than it can help.
 
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For the most part they do.
Doesn't really matter though. Women must sometimes leave the base, otherwise there'd be no need to recommend the hijab if women aren't interacting with the locals at all.
 
Doesn't really matter though. Women must sometimes leave the base, otherwise there'd be no need to recommend the hijab if women aren't interacting with the locals at all.

Females are mainly used to interact with local Females and they were them to make more comfortable around them.
 
They could, but as the saying goes, "when in Rome..."

I'm not accusing you ofthis, Ballin, but there are countless hypocrites who only advocate the "when in Rome" when they are Rome. When WE are Rome, the same people are suddenly multiculturalists who think it is an act of racism and xenophobia to expect people to westernize. I have read the very same people who stronly advocate for Sharia Law in Britain or against the Burka Bans in France offer this same "when in Rome" excuse for supporting the misogyny here, so the convenience to the argument is often a stronger motivator than the committment to the principle.
 
I'm not accusing you ofthis, Ballin, but there are countless hypocrites who only advocate the "when in Rome" when they are Rome. When WE are Rome, the same people are suddenly multiculturalists who think it is an act of racism and xenophobia to expect people to westernize. I have read the very same people who stronly advocate for Sharia Law in Britain or against the Burka Bans in France offer this same "when in Rome" excuse for supporting the misogyny here, so the convenience to the argument is often a stronger motivator than the committment to the principle.

I've elaborated my thoughts on the issue of multiculturalism vs. assimilation elsewhere, and I'm glad to discuss this with you another time.

However with regard to this issue, the difference is that we are an open society with a pluralistic culture, while Afghanistan is not. Moreover, it's us fighting a war in Afghanistan, not the other way around. There are practical implications to consider.

I told X factor in a previous post that if I were a SOF trooper on the ground right now, I'd absolutely loathe the notion of wearing a beard. However, if my commanders thought that it would make a difference, I would do it without complaint if it helped to accomplish the mission.
 
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Yep. Been reading the Official Small Wars Manual.

lol that's old school man. I haven't read it yet, but I'd be interesting to see how it differs from Petraeus' FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency manual. 70 years is plenty of time for the nature of warfare to evolve.
 
lol that's old school man. I haven't read it yet, but I'd be interesting to see how it differs from Petraeus' FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency manual. 70 years is plenty of time for the nature of warfare to evolve.

It's wasn't really change. Accept for the winning hearts and minds.
 
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