Canada’s military head defends women’s role in combat against U.S. comments

Canada’s apical wide firmly rejected the conception of dropping women from combat roles — a presumption promoted by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defence caput — astatine a information forum underway successful Halifax Saturday.

Gen. Jennie Carignan, main of defence staff, was responding to Republican Senator James Risch’s comments yesterday astatine the Halifax International Security Forum astir Pete Hegseth’s absorption to women successful warring units.

Asked astir Hegseth’s grounds of opposing women successful these roles, Risch told the astir 300 delegates “the assemblage is inactive out” connected however to woody with the “unique situations” that having women successful combat creates, adding it was yet up to the subject to determine connected the issue.

Carignan said that aft 39 years arsenic a combat serviceman who has risked her beingness for her country, she “can’t judge that successful 2024 we inactive person to warrant the publication of women … successful the work of their country.”

She besides said, to a lasting ovation, that she didn’t privation anyone to permission the forum with an thought that women are “a distraction to defence and nationalist security.”

Hegseth, a erstwhile subject serviceman who is simply a regular Fox News commentator, has said successful his publication and successful interviews that helium believes men and women should not service unneurotic successful combat units.

On Nov. 7, helium told a U.S. podcast that having women successful combat roles hasn’t made the units much effectual oregon lethal, and “has made warring much complicated.”

He has said women person a spot successful the military, but not successful peculiar operations, artillery, infantry and armoured units.