Currently happening within the Green Berets in the US. Long term push to include women, standards lowered prior to actually formally accepting women for training. By the time they are able to start training standards allow them to pass a course that they wouldn’t have a few years before.
There are plenty of women in the forces specifically available for SF duties that require their abilities. I’ve worked with them and they are fantastic. What we are talking about here is not a requirement for more women to fill under resourced roles. This is purely about forcing a politically correct ideal and ignoring the realities of what the role requires.
This is not comparable to women becoming pilots in the RAF. A women is physically and mentally capable of the role. Arguments about having to change ejector seats is not comparable. We’re no talking about not allowing women because we don’t make boots in smaller sizes. A woman is not generally capable of extreme endurance marches carrying heavy weights. If however you can find one then more power to them, I’m sure they would be welcomed as an equal.
Re the idea that the the testing is about mental toughness, sure, but you can be as mentally strong as you like, when your legs give out it counts for nothing. Yes you need a smart guy, but frankly he also needs to be a “donkey” (as someone else suggested) at times. The two go hand in hand.
I’ve worked with SF lads that are 6’6” and others that would be lucky to be 5’6”. The little guy was given no quarter, they carried the same weight and marched the same distance. Ultimately it meant that you didn’t care what the chap looked like, you knew that he could do the job as he had passed the course. If a woman can do that great. Pass the same course and crack on.