An article in the Washington Post reveals that, in November 2013, three women passed the United States Marine Corps (USMC) enlisted infantry course.

However, women will still not be allowed to serve in the infantry and USMC leaders state they require another two years of study to determine if it is feasible for women to do so.

Only 7% the USMC is female, half the overall rate for the US military. And, in a survey last year, one in six male Marines said they probably would leave the USMC if they were forced to serve alongside women in ground combat units.

In contrast, US Army leaders say they are developing “gender-neutral” standards for infantry and other combat forces and plan to eventually open those units to women, though they will not rule out the possibility that they might decide to keep some off-limits.  Virtually all positions in the US Navy and US Air Force are accessible to women, with the exception of some elite commando teams.

Although 10 have tried, no women have yet passed the Officers infantry course.

Reference

Whitlock, C. (2013) Three Women Pass Marine ‘Grunt’ Test but Corps Holds Off On Letting Them in Infantry. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/three-women-pass-marine-grunt-test-but-corps-holds-off-on-letting-them-in-infantry/2013/11/20/6e04f164-51f6-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story.html. [Accessed: 28 December, 2013].