Army
Female Soldiers To Man UK Tanks In 2017
Female soldiers are to be allowed to join British Army tank crews for the first time.
Starting in January 2017, the King's Royal Hussars, Queen's Royal Hussars, and the Royal Tank Regiment will permit female recruits to begin tank training, with around 70 interested.
It follows a decision in July to allow women to serve in combat roles.
The rest of the Army is due to follow suit in 2018, according to the Sun.
The Royal Navy and RAF already allow women to be fighter pilots and submariners. The Army, meanwhile, aims to increase the number of female soldiers to 15%, double its current figure, by 2020.
Although all female tank drivers will have to pass through 14-weeks of basic training, critics have still claimed that frontline female soldiers could damage 'unit cohesion'.
Israel is famous for using women fighters, shown here in 1950 (left), and in 2008 during field training (image: Israel Defense Forces)
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:
"I have always wanted roles in our Armed Forces to be determined by ability, not gender. Women have already given exemplary service in recent conflicts, working in a variety of highly specialised and vital roles. By opening all combat roles to women, we will continue to build on these successes and improve the operational capability of our military."
The Royal Tank Regiment's Lt Col Ridgway, meanwhile, said: "We see this as a huge opportunity".
A female soldier of Israel's Home Front Command's Search and Rescue Unit receives combat training (image: Israel Defense Forces)
Similarly, the US also lifted a ban on women in combat roles in 2013. This has led to speculation that, in time, young women might also have to register with the Selective Service System. Currently, young men in the US aged between 18 and 25 are required to register to be potential draftees, in case of a war requiring an expansion of the armed forces.
Female fighters played an important role in Russia's military during the Second World War (shown are members of the Sydir Kovpak partisan detachment in Eastern Ukraine)
New openings to women have gone on to include both the elite Army Rangers and Navy SEALs. The first two female rangers completed selection in August last year, but so far no women have tried out for SEAL selection.
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