Republicans voice concern over women in US military combat

WASHINGTON: Voicing concern over the Obama Administration's historic decision to draft women into military combat, leading Republican presidential candidates have said defence services should not be used for "social experiments".

"When it comes to the men and women of the military, I don't think the military should be governed by political correctness. Or should be used as for social experiments," Texas Senator Ted Cruz said.

"If I am elected president we will not be drafting our daughters into combat on the front lines," Cruz said during a CNN town hall in Greenville South Carolina which is having a considerable military veterans' population and goes to presidential primary on February 20.

Cruz slammed other Republican presidential candidates who have supported the move to draft women into military combat.

"I was astonished two debates ago when three different Republican candidates for President stood up and supported drafting women into combat. I think that doesn't make any sense, Cruz said.

"When I was sitting there listening to it I kind of wondered if Rod Serling was going to walk out in a second and say, 'You've entered the Twilight Zone', Cruz said.

"I'm the father of two daughters. Women can do anything, but the idea that the federal government would forcibly conscript young women and put them into combat, that makes no sense at all," he alleged.

Earlier, appearing during the town hall, Florida Senator Marco Rubio also voiced his concern over the decision.

"I do not believe that the military is a place where we should be lowering standards in order to meet some sort of other goal. I believe that I'm open to people in both genders serving in combat, so long as they can meet the minimum requirements necessary for the job," Rubio said.

He said standards should not be weakened in order to accommodate somebody into the job.

"That I believe in strongly because lives are on the line. And national security is on the line. By the way, there are plenty of men that can't meet those standards either," he said.

"So we should not lower standards for anyone because this is not a game. You are putting people into harm's way, where they have to be able not simply to do the job in front of them, but also to be able to protect the people that are working alongside them," Rubio said.

Rubio said it was not about the gender, but about the ability to do the job.

"And as president and as commander-in-chief, I will not lower standards in order to achieve some sort of societal aim," he said.