Commander Tom Phillips, RAN, might have had a bit more job security if he’d taken a page out of our book, ca. 1991:
A British-born navy officer is in the firing line after suggesting female sailors posing in bikinis would boost recruitment.
Politicians and feminists have joined in condemning 37-year-old Commander Tom Phillips, who joined the Australian navy in 1990 as a Seaman Officer.
Appointed to the ‘hunter-killer’ submarine HMAS Farncomb last year, Commander Phillips went even further by suggesting that the submariner’s equivalent of the notorious ‘mile high club’ for people having sex on a plane was the ‘going down club.’
Maybe he could write a book.
(H/T to our man SpazSinbad)
Wow. He puts the ass in class.
The minor miracle was that Rear Admiral Thomas had the pair to stick his neck out to defend the guy–if it had been the USN he’d have been thrown under the bus quicker than you can say “ERA Harridans” –Or “Tailhook,” for that matter (even quicker if in the USAF.)
Still a few good men down in OZ, it seems….but watch out for those low flying Harpies!
Sorry Liz…. BHWAAAHAHAHAHA!!!
I want to know why wimmin are reading “RALPH” – a men’s magazine.
Stop it I say! It will only end in tears before teatime.
I think the RAN may rethink running ads in magazines like Ralph. It was always going to backfire on them.
One of the problems of being desperate for better new recruitment numbers is that episodes like this happen, and CMDR Phillips fell into a trap. The questions asked had a deliberate angle and he forgot his SOMAC training. Doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy.
umm… kinda begs the question, “what kind of membership demographic in the alleged ‘going down club’??”
NTTAWTT
One the other hand…some real class act down under…
You got to love our Aussie cousins. They ever need us in a fight, we better come running.
OK, I guess this is my ‘european’ upbringing talking, but I find no faults with what this officer said or did. The interview was given to a men’s magazine and the answers fit the questions. He did not say anything that was not true.
I do not see anything wrong with what was going on at the Tailhook either… The women knew what was happening and if they did not want to participate, they should not have gone there. If they were mentally and physically fit to enter Naval Aviation, they should have had enough brains to make an informed decision. End of story. Damn feminists…
I think I like Olga!
Easy, QMan, ever since Babs thru me over and broke our engagement, I’ve been heart-broken looking for a soul mate–and now along comes Olga–you may have some competition from this sexist fossil.