They've been really pushing the FETs/Lionesses/CSTs over the last few years and obviously they decided to really develop these programs pretty late in the "game" when it comes to these wars as we are supposedly drawing them down completely over the next few years. However, an article that came out in the fall said that they were considering trying to create permanent CSTs (the FET that are attached to SF and Rangers) though it's unclear how they're doing that since as of right now when you volunteer and get selected for a CST it only lasts about year (training and deployment) until you go back to your original unit.

So if they're spending all this time and money (to do the selections I assume it costs some amount of money as well as getting equipment for those females who make it), do you think this will be a long-term thing that will last even as we head into "peace-time"? Will these female CSTs continue deploying with SF to Afghanistan and other countries like Africa to continue working with women of other cultures? Isn't this somewhat of a Civil Affairs job too? Or do you think the programs will fall by the wayside? Is part of the reason for these programs to get females out there and going outside the wire alongside infantry, SF, Rangers, etc without actually having to open those fields up to women?

Can we use these programs in peace-time without having it take over the Civil Affairs job since it doesn't really make sense to just drop it after all the press they've gotten and how well they seem to be working out so far when they've only really started to become serious about the selections and programs in the last few years?

ETA: Thanks, I just wasn't sure if it was due to time difference and it getting moved further away from the start of answers that it didn't get answered. I'm actually already in the Army and am in Afghanistan right now so my time is really off for the U.S. I'm just looking for another way to get deployed again and continue being able to go outside the wire as I kind of lucked into the job I'm able to do on this deployment. It's difficult to find out info on some of this particularly the CSTs so that's why I was asking in case someone perhaps did have some more indepth info than random articles give.