Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said Aug. 20 that all ground combat jobs will be open to women unless service chiefs can deliver convincing reasons, backed by data, that certain roles should remain closed in reports due Oct. 1.
The military occupational specialties (MOS) open to women were greatly expanded during Carter’s previous stint as deputy secretary of defense under then-Secretary Leon Panetta. Around 110,000 ground combat positions are now open to female soldiers, Carter said.
Carter has asked the services to provide a report to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff detailing any specific jobs they feel should remain closed to women and why.
“’I will review the services’ recommendations and make a final determination by the end of this year,” Carter said. “The department’s policy is that all ground combat positions will be open to women unless rigorous analysis and factual data shows those positions must remain closed.”
The announcement comes 24 hours before the first female students will graduate from one of the most rigorous infantry training school the U.S. military has to offer. Two women–Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver–on Friday will graduate from Army Ranger School along with 94 men, becoming the first females ever to wear the Ranger Tab on their uniforms.
“I’m happy to be done with the course,” Greis said during a press conference Thursday at Fort Benning, Ga., where Ranger School is located. “I just came here to be a better leader and improve myself.”
The pair was the only two of 19 women who completed the entire course. However, combat jobs in Special Operations are still closed to them.
“Truly it is a huge credit for anyone, man or woman, to endure the intense training regimen at Ranger School and to prevail and to graduate,” Carter said.
Maj. Gen. Austin Miller, commander of the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, stressed that the standards for graduating from Ranger School had not been changed in the slightest. He called the two female Ranger graduates “trailblazers,” “pioneers” and said that meeting the standards matters more than gender.
“You’re looking for capable and competent soldiers,” he said during Thursday’s press conference. “I want people to meet the standards. We’ve just shown that it’s not exclusively a male domain here.”
Even though Greist and Haver are not yet cleared to serve in combat, their experience has made them better soldiers and better leaders, just like their male classmates, Miller said.
“This is a great leadership school that tests you to your limits,” he said. “If they are going to combat, I don’t see why we wouldn’t want them to be as trained as possible.”
Miller would not say if he believes Special Operations Command should open jobs to women, but said that his staff and that of senior leadership in all services–including SOCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel–are comparing notes as they gradually expand the roles in which women can serve.
“It wouldn’t be helpful right now for Gen. Votel to have my opinion,” Miller said. “Let’s give it time and do the assessments.”