Soldiers may soon be given a new standard issue item for their survival packs: a box of condoms. 

Last month, a new order issued by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-101, lifted a ban on sexual relations between unmarried men and women in the combat zone of Afghanistan.

Previously, sexual relations and "intimate behavior" between unmarried men and women in the area were strictly forbidden, as were men and women from entering each other's living quarters unless they were married to each other.  But the times they are a changin'.

With the latest policy, sexual relations - expanding beyond Bill Clinton's definition of the expression - are now just 'highly discouraged' instead of altogether forbidden fruit.  Singles can now also visit each other's living quarters, so long as all other inhabitants approve and the visitors of the opposite sex remain in the open or at the least, keep all doors to their quarters open. (Homosexuals still need to remain in the closet.)

The new order aligns policy in Afghanistan with similar policies in Iraq.  But parts of the Uniform Military Code of Justice would seem draconian to many civilians.  As Stars and Stripes reports, "married persons cannot engage legally in sex with anyone other than their spouse, or they can be prosecuted for adultery. Sexual relations between subordinates and higher-ranking personnel are prohibited within the same chain of command. Sexual relations between officers and enlisted personnel are generally prohibited as well. Homosexual relations are completely prohibited under the code."

All violations of these rules are chargeable offenses.  And if U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) has his way, soldiers won't be able to look at porn either.  No wonder the military has a hard time recruiting.

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