I make the following comment as a former fast attack submariner, not someone trying to imagine what the unique conditions living and working aboard a nuclear submarine are like.

If you limit those who answer the question, "Should women be placed on nuclear submarines?", to only those men who have served on nuclear submarines, I'm confident that the results will be overwhelmingly "NO!". Asking anyone else requires that they try to imagine what life under water for months is like - they can only try to imagine because they do not know. Having senior naval officers make decissions like this one when they themselves have NO IDEA what its like to serve aboard a nuclear submarine is simply foolish. It may be politically correct for them to direct that it be done, but foolish, and ultimately a huge mistake.

Its apparent that the CNO is not familiar with life on board a submarine. Crew members live very close, space is limited and there is no privacy. Why a foal of placing women on board a submarine? Certainly women can do certain jobs on board a submarine but that is not the question.

Placing women and men is a close situation like submarines and you are going to have plenty of problems.

Its just a stupid decision, but then Washington seems to be full of stupid decisions.

Gator George