The US Military, Women, & Combat Arms
Ranger School
An elite school in the US Army.
Ranger school students learn leadership and infantry skills. This is considered a prestigious course and women are now allowed to attend. The results from female students will directly affect how future integration goes for service women
Standards
The biggest issue that policy makers and Military leaders will face is will standards be lowered to allow females to enter combat occupations.
By lowering the standard, the effectiveness of combat operations would be lowered and lives would be endangered.
However, it has been stated that women will be held to the same standard as men for these positions.
Marine Officer Infantry Course
Women have currently been attending and attempting the Marine Officer Infantry Course. This course is physically demanding and no woman has been able to pass this course yet. This is due to physical inability to meet the standards.
The failure to meet the standard is not negative. By identifying what areas female candidates are lacking in, training can be better focused to improve physical fitness for female students.
This also shows that the women are being held to the same standard as men and are not being dropped for unethical reasons or being allowed to stay within the course without meeting the same standards as their male counterparts.
