Canada’s high navy chief, Gen. Jennie Carignan, confronted US Senator Jim Risch on Saturday for questioning the function of girls in fight, highlighting the important contributions girls have made in defence and safety.
In the course of the Halifax Worldwide Safety Discussion board, Risch, a Republican senator from Idaho, remarked that “the jury’s nonetheless out” on whether or not women and men ought to serve collectively in fight models. This assertion prompted Carignan, Canada’s chief of defence employees and the primary girl to command the armed forces of any G7 or G20 nation, to reply forcefully.
“After 39 years as a fight arms officer and risking my life in operations worldwide, I can’t consider that in 2024, we nonetheless must justify girls’s contributions to their defence and repair to their nation,” Carignan mentioned throughout her panel tackle. “Ladies in fight aren’t a distraction—questioning their function is.”
Carignan emphasised the lengthy historical past of girls taking part in fight, usually with out formal recognition, and highlighted the bravery of girls in uniform. Her feedback acquired a standing ovation on the discussion board, which was attended by defence officers from Western democracies.
The talk over girls in fight has resurfaced on account of feedback from Pete Hegseth, a nominee for US defence secretary, who has publicly opposed integrating women and men in fight models. If confirmed, Hegseth might push to roll again the Pentagon’s coverage of permitting girls in all fight roles.
Carignan, who has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Syria, grew to become Canada’s first feminine defence chief earlier this yr. She beforehand led efforts to reform the Canadian Armed Forces’ tradition following a 2021 sexual misconduct scandal.
Her remarks come as Canada faces criticism for not assembly NATO’s defence spending goal of two% of GDP. Whereas the federal government has dedicated to reaching this purpose by 2032, Risch claimed the present plan could be met with derision by former US President Donald Trump.
(With inputs from AP)
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