WASHINGTON — A top general says cultural, social and behavioral concerns may be bigger hurdles than physical fitness requirements for women looking to move into the military's special operations units.
Maj. Gen. Bennet Sacolick, director of force management for US Special Operations Command, says "the days of Rambo are over."
He says he has seen women working alongside special operations teams in Afghanistan who met difficult physical requirements. But he says the commandos usually deploy as small teams, often with a dozen or fewer troops, in austere conditions for long periods of time.
He says he is more concerned about the men's reactions to having women in their ranks.
Military leaders are detailing plans to slowly bring women into thousands of combat jobs, although after studies some exception may be made.