11/28/2023 0 Comments Female recruit with infantry mos![]() ![]() Yet while American women had been serving in battle since the Revolutionary War (with some 177 women in uniform killed in Afghanistan and Iraq in this century alone), the ground combat exclusion policy stubbornly endured, disqualifying women from some 200,000 positions across infantry, artillery and other combat roles. In 2012, we opened more than 14,000 positions previously closed to female candidates. We assigned a senior Pentagon official and several of our senior military advisors the task of analyzing the impact of formally allowing women to serve in combat roles. ![]() ![]() There’s even more left to do.įor years we worked with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to address challenges facing women in the military. Armed Forces, there is much to celebrate. One decade after lifting one of the last major barriers to equal opportunity in the U.S. It looks like there are huge changes coming soon-and it’s about time.In January 2013, during our final days in the Pentagon, we announced a historic decision - that the Department of Defense would overturn the “ground combat exclusion policy,” a Pentagon rule barring women from serving in direct combat ground units below the brigade level. So while a lot of positions are still currently off-limits to women in the military, those restrictions are shrinking. However, the Navy Times reports that the military branch is now recruiting enlisted women for submarine roles.Įven though women aren’t currently allowed to join the prestigious Navy SEALs or Special Warfare Combat Craft (SWCC) units, a top admiral recently told the Navy Times that there is “no reason” why a woman shouldn’t become a SEAL if she can pass the intense six-month Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, which includes brutal tests of physical strength and endurance, including seven days called "hell week" at the three-month mark. Women can’t apply to serve in enlisted positions on submarines “due to privacy and living space considerations,” the Navy says on its website (without much further explanation). Serve in Enlisted Positions On Submarines These are prestigious positions that require special skills and qualifications, per the Army.Īs of now, more than 4,100 enlisted positions in special operations units (prestigious groups of soldiers that are specially organized and trained) for the Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve are for men only-but that is due to change by Sept. Special Forces advanced reconnaissance, target analysis, and exploitation techniques are currently off-limits to women, Army Times reports. RELATED: 13 Amazing Things Women Have Done While On Their Periods The Army has not explained why women are still forbidden from applying, but the status quo may change as of January 2016. The two women who graduated from the course are currently not allowed to apply to join the 75th Ranger Regiment. The Army opened its legendary Ranger School, considered one of the most difficult courses in the military, to women on an experimental basis this April. That will open up more than 300,000 positions to women unless the individual services are granted exceptions to keeping some roles for men only, USA Today reports. The Army Special Operations Command has created cultural support teams, which are groups of women who accompany special operations teams into areas where the interaction between female civilians and male soldiers would be considered inappropriate.įront-line combat units (including infantry, armor, artillery, and special operations) have been off-limits to women, but that may change as of January when the Pentagon plans to erase gender restrictions in the military. Serve As Special Operations ‘Cultural Support Teams’ As of February, 34 percent of female enlisted troops who took the course passed. However, Marines also opened infantry training for enlisted troops to women, who performed better than those who volunteered for the course. ![]() (About 25 percent of men who take the course graduate.) None of the 29 women who volunteered for the 13-week course passed, the Marine Corps Times reports. The Marine Corps’ Infantry Officer Course was opened to women in 2012 as part of the Pentagon’s effort to assess how it can better integrate women into more jobs. Take the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course Here's a roundup of what women are permitted to do in the miliary right now. RELATED: Where Hillary Clinton Stands on All of the Big Issues for Women However, the Pentagon is now weighing decisions about exactly what combat roles women will be allowed to fill (it’s expected to make a decision later this year). Army says that 78 percent of its positions are open to women. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play Ĭurrently, the U.S. ![]()
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