WASHINGTON — Sep 19, 2014, 4:05 PM ET
By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press
Associated Press
The
Army is opening the door for women to go to Ranger school, in one of
the first steps toward allowing women to begin moving into more grueling
combat jobs.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Friday that he believes he will be able to put women in the Ranger course next spring.
While
completing the leadership course would let women wear the coveted
Ranger tab, it does not let them become members of the Ranger regiment.
Currently only men can be in the 75th Ranger Regiment — the special
operations forces unit based at Fort Benning, Georgia. Joining the
regiment requires additional physically, emotionally and mentally
challenging schooling.
Women can now begin volunteering for the course and will also be asked to serve as advisers and observers.
By
January 2016, the military must open all combat jobs to women or
explain why any must remain closed. The Pentagon lifted its ban on women
in combat jobs in 2012, but gave the military services time to
gradually and systematically integrate women into the male-only
front-line positions.
Special
operations jobs are some of the last to be addressed, as commanders
review the qualifications needed and assess the impact of bringing women
in.
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