Military Changes Then and Now
To some several Americans, they have known only one part of life; being part of the military. Generations of male family members and now females have been moving from one base to another being part of the armed forces. These men and women have protected the country during times of unrest. Different changes have been effected in the military over the years. This paper will examine the military history from then and now.
Today’s military is of course very different from that of our great grandfather’s and those who came before them. Presently, there are greater options for the military members unlike in the past. The advancements come in such areas as education, the decision to allow women to hold combat positions, allowing black women to serve in the military, private sector employment.
The state of housing for the military has also changed. There have been several changes throughout in terms of housing. The military housing sector has I fact advanced in great leaps and bounds. The old day’s barracks have been replaced with modern accommodations. These modern units are full featured installations with a sports arena and other recreational opportunities on the ground. They also contain family support areas like those in education, medicine, and counseling (Adams, G).
History of the Battle Dress Uniform
The Battle Dress Uniform otherwise known in short as the BDU has been used by the military and from 1981 to 2005 has been the same. Initially there were two types of the BDU which were designed for hot weather and the other for temperate weather. The hot weather type had a coat and a pant made up of 100 percent cotton while for temperate made of a nylon and cotton blend. These uniforms were criticized for easy fraying. They were later replaced in 1996 with an enhanced hot weather BDU. With constant ongoing research, better BDUs have been created. Modern BDUs for example use a dye that prevents detection from NIIC (Near Infrared Image Converters) which helps soldiers to avoid detection by allowing them to blend with the surrounding (Kelly, E).
Over the years, the military has embraced several changes on recruitment of members to the service. Then, it was so controversial to integrate blacks into military. Things have changed so fast that now black women have, although it is a work in progress, these women can now and largely serve in the military alongside the men. And also for the first time recently, the first female submariners are now training, a great obstacle they have overcome which was unthinkable of in the past. Then the official policy of the US military since the civil war was to keep the white and Negro races segregated. In fact Negro soldiers were assigned to Negro units as they were regarded as being unsuitable for combat. But now the situation is different as even the commander in chief is a black, President Obama who is the US president. (Time CNN). The military has thus earned a reputation as a meritocracy where minorities as well as women can flourish.
Another change is the repeal of the DADT policy otherwise better known as the “don’t ask don’t’ tell” policy. Gays and lesbians now serve openly in the military. This is a new social challenge that has not been there. In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the US military don’t ask don’t tell policy that prohibited anyone “demonstrate(s) a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the armed forces because "it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability." (Johnson, R.). The DADT policy banned all military lesbian, gay and bisexual members from openly serving in the military. A bill was later introduced into the house and repealing the DADT. In December 2010, the bill was passed and now all these diverse sexual oriented groups can now openly serve in the military (Religious tolerance).
Last but not least we examine the military satellite communications, then and now. According to Mak King, the Military satellite communications have become so essential that the military have to use them during combats. In the past though, satellite communications was not as important as it is today. But over the years, there has been increased demand for capacity and this has called for improved satellite designs. New improved satellite communications have been developed to combat higher level crimes and this has been possible with technology advancements over the years (King, M. and Riccio, M.).
Over the years, the phase of the military has undergone leaps and bounds to change its face and its operations. Several aspects have changed over time and this include; their housing units and standards, allowing minorities and women to serve in the military and even higher ranks, lifting of the DADT which now allows gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military and last but not least is the improvement of communications tools used to combat crime and this has been made possible thanks to technology advancements. Of special interest is also the BDUs which have been changed to prevent detection from NIIC (Near Infrared Image Converters.