Gender-Blind Fleet, Huh?

The Navy Uniform Board is messing around with uniforms again…this time to make the uniforms “gender blind.” In other words, the women will now be wearing men’s uniforms and covers. Won’t that be swell? This is in response to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus’ commitment to service where opportunities are gender blind, according to the [...]

Sexual Assault Awareness Month…Revisited

Last week I wrote about the Navy’s plan for a stand-down to “communicate the service’s policy of zero tolerance for sexual assault while encouraging sailors to work harder to prevent attacks.” I had indicated a bit of skepticism about the leadership’s buy-in of the program… The day after my blog was published I was invited [...]

Get Women in the Picture!

I received an email from a doctoral student at the University of West Florida who is writing her dissertation on women military careerists born between 1940 and 1955. As a result, she has spent a good amount of time talking to retired service women, as well as visiting the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, [...]

21st Century Fragging: Sexual Assault

Navy Times reports this week that “Navy leaders are calling for educational standdowns in April to communicate the service’s policy of zero tolerance for sexual assault while encouraging sailors to work harder to prevent attacks.” It’s part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, an effort to raise awareness of the issue and what can be done [...]

A New Kind of PT: Female Vets Running…for Congress

Four female veterans are making history by running for Congress this year. While women make up more than 50% of the population, they are severely underrepresented in public office. It’s about time that started changing. A few weeks ago, I received an email from Colonel Martha McSally (USAF, ret) announcing her intention to run for Arizona’s [...]

Women’s History Month: You Go, Girls!

I have been thinking about Women’s History Month since March began. Then, I saw that March 8 was International Women’s Day, an event that has taken place worldwide since the early 1900s. According to its website, it began amid the turbulence of the industrial age when women started realizing their oppressed and subordinate status. They [...]

Anja Niedringhaus / AP

Battleland Diary, March 3-9

TIME’s photo editors bring you the best pictures from the front lines and home.

navy

More on Ship-Naming Controversies: About the USS Gabrielle Giffords

The next Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) will be named for Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who recently resigned from Congress so she can concentrate on healing after an assassination attempt last year. This news was announced some time ago, and though I have been on record saying I think more ships should be named for women, [...]

Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian Goodwin/

A Long Time Coming — And Still A Long Way To Go

I just found out that President Obama has nominated Air Force Lieut. General Janet Wolfenbarger for her fourth star, making her the first woman in the Air Force to earn that rank, and only the second woman in the history of the United States military to be nominated. This announcement came on the wake of [...]

A Heroine…Of a Different Kind

“We are sad to report that Lt. Cmdr. Regina Mills, Nimitz‘ Handler, died Jan. 23 following a multi-vehicle accident on State Route 16 in Kitsap County, Wash….Regina was a great leader and officer. She was a leader and mentor not only to the Sailors and officers in the Air Department, but throughout the ship. It [...]