The RAF foolishly decides to defy Hultgreen-Curie Syndrome:
First woman to command an RAF fast jet squadron named as Wing Commander Nikki Thomas. Wg Cdr Thomas is expected to lead bombing missions over Iraq this summer. A woman who has become the first to command an RAF fast jet squadron is expected to lead bombing missions over Iraq this summer.
Wing Commander Nikki Thomas, who took charge of the newly reformed No 12 Squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk on Friday, flew a daring low mission to help foil a deadly rocket attack on a UK base in Afghanistan. The 36-year-old is a weapons system operator with extensive experience of combat operations, clocking up more than 35 missions in Afghanistan within three months alone.
One wishes the Wing Commander the best of luck, but let’s face it, the odds are not on her side. It’s a daring move, especially after the first female Royal Navy captain lasted all of three months.
In not entirely unrelated news, the Marines are finding it hard to find a single woman who can pass the officer course:
Two female Marine officers who volunteered to attempt the Corps’ challenging Infantry Officer Course did not proceed beyond the first day of the course, a Marine Corps spokesperson confirms to the Free Beacon. The two were the only female officers attempting the course in the current cycle, which began Thursday in Quantico, Virginia.
With the two most recent drops, there have been 29 attempts by female officers to pass the course since women have been allowed to volunteer, with none making it to graduation. (At least one woman has attempted the course more than once.) Only three female officers have made it beyond the initial day of training, a grueling evaluation known as the Combat Endurance Test, or CET. Male officers also regularly fail to pass the CET, and the overall course has a substantial attrition rate for males.
The Marine Corps spokesperson, Captain Maureen Krebs, told the Free Beacon that the two officers, “did not meet the standards required of them on day one in order to continue on with the course.” Fifteen male officers also did not meet the standards. Of the 118 officers who began the course, 101 proceeded to the second day.
It’s mildly amusing to see that the reporter feels the need to point out that men have been known to fail the course as well, although at least he’s honest enough to provide the statistics that demonstrate show 13 percent of the male candidates failed CET, compared to 100 percent of the female candidates.
The Marines are under tremendous pressure to water down their standards. One hopes, for the sake of future Marines, they will stand firm nevertheless. And we can be all but certain that if a woman ever does pass the course, she’ll be a strong candidate for Hultgreen-Curie Syndrome.