Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Why these girls joins the Norwegian army?

Women in Norway have been able to fill military roles since 1938, and during the Second World War both enlisted women and female officers served in all branches of the military. However in 1947 political changes commanded that women only serve in civilian posts., with reservists allowing women to join them in 1959.
Between 1977 and 1984, the Norwegian Parliament passed laws expanding the role of women in the Norwegian Armed Forces, and in 1985 the equal opportunities legislations were applied to the military. Norwegian women are permitted to serve in a voluntary basis, however in the event of national mobilisation they will be under the same pressures as men.In 1995, Norway became the first country to allow women to serve on its military submarines, and to this date there has been at least one female commander of a Norwegian submarine.[28], the first Solveig Krey in 1995.[29]
The Norwegian government has set a target of 15% of their armed forces to consist of women by 2008, from the 2006 value of 6.6%.[30] This aims are accompanied with efforts to increase the awareness of sexual exploitation and gender issues within the armed forces. All women between 18-20 are given the opportunity to attend national conscription selection.
Currently, each section of the Norwegian armed forces contains the current number of women (as of 2006):
-Army 132
-Navy 115
-Air force 83
-Home Guard 13
-Logistics 111
The highest rank currently attained by a woman in the Norwegian armed forces is that of Brigadier. Source from wikipedia
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Chilean Army still uses the Stahlhelm design

The Chilean Army still uses the Stahlhelm design aka german helmet for ceremonial purposes. This can be seen at this pic during the La Parada Militar which is held every 19th sempteber. The Stahlhelm with its distinctive "coal scuttle" shape was an excellent symbol for military imagery. It was a common element of military propaganda on both sides, just like the Pickelhaube before. After the Second World War, West Germany abandoned the distinctive Stahlhelm, which had become a symbol of German military aggression, using a variant of the more harmless-looking United States Army "GI pot" helmet instead. In the 1990s, a Kevlar helmet was adopted which sported the distinct form once more. East Germany used a helmet modelled on a late Second World War German design with a more conical shape. After the war, the Bundesgrenzschutz border guards and some West German police units kept the Stahlhelm in their inventories, though it was seldom worn, and the Fallschirmjäger variant was used for some time by the GSG 9. German fire brigades today still use Stahlhelm-shaped helmets in a fluorescent color. The Chilean Army still uses the Stahlhelm design for ceremonial purposes.
The different Stahlhelm designs are named for their year of introduction. For example, Modell 1942 was introduced in 1942, but more commonly known as M1942 or simply M42. Here, they are referred to by their M19XX names. Please look at wikipedia. Please have a look at this M40 Stahlhelm fabric video.
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