Constantly Recycled Atmosphere Unlike Surface Ships
Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness, has expressed surprise and disappointment that Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has stated that he supports the assignment of women to submarines. "Chairman Mullen, said Donnelly, "apparently does not understand the most important reasons why women sailors do not serve on submarines. The problem is not nuclear power, it is the air, which is constantly recycled in the undersea environment. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels in the air are safe for adults but a high-risk cause of birth defects in unborn children-particularly in the early weeks of gestation when a woman may not even know she is pregnant."
She continued, "By thoughtlessly pushing for co-ed submarines, apparently to please military and civilian feminists, Admiral Mullen has demonstrated an appalling unawareness of the health hazards involved, and a callous disregard for quality-of-life hardships that are difficult enough for sailors in the Silent Service."
"Admiral Mullen, Adm. Gary Roughead, the Chief of Naval Operations, and Navy Secretary Raymond Mabus would show far more respect for Navy women by taking the time to read the most comprehensive analysis on this subject, an SAIC Report titled "Submarine Assignment Policy Assessment." She continued, "The report's detailed analysis explains stark differences in habitability standards between submarines and surface ships. It also explains the dilemmas future submarine commanders would face when they must choose between an extremely dangerous mid-ocean evacuation of a pregnant sailor, which would compromise the stealth of the mission, or a decision to force the sailor to expose her unborn child to atmospheric elements (not nuclear power) that are known to cause birth defects."
Donnelly further recommended that the military and Navy's top leaders review the statement of Rear Admiral Hugh Scott, MC, USN (Ret.), a recognized expert in undersea medicine, who explained the health risks of assigning women to submarines in a letter to the House Armed Services Committee. Among other things, Dr. Scott explained that ectopic pregnancies, which are not statistically rare, would create additional emergencies requiring immediate, extremely hazardous evacuations, sometimes in mid-ocean.
She added, "Britain, Canada, and the American Navy do not put women on submarines primarily because of these irresolvable health risks and operational complications. In addition, habitability standards on subs are well below minimum standards on surface ships. Crowd them even more, in order to provide separate quarters for female officers and enlisted sailors, and morale as well as discipline would suffer."
Donnelly also noted that there is a law requiring the Navy to provide official notice to Congress before any funds are spent to gender-integrate submarines. More information is on the CMR website, linked here.
