All Ground Close Combat Roles Open to Women by 2018, says UK MOD

Ok, so a bit slow off the mark with this one, which was first announced on 08 July 2016. Only one month slow! I’ll use the excuse of emigrating to Australia as the reason for the delay. Anyway, the Secretary of Defence (Michael Fallon) and the Chief of the Defence Staff (General Sir Nick Carter) have announced that… Read More

US Military Opens All Roles to Women

The US Secretary of Defence, Ash Carter, has announced that beginning in January 2016, all military occupations and positions will be open to women, without exception. For the first time in US military history, as long as they qualify and meet specific standards, the secretary stated that women will be able to contribute to the… Read More

Review into Women in Ground Combat Roles Published

The Ministry of Defence has published a review paper (19 December 2014), carried out earlier in the year by the Chief of the General Staff, Sir Nicholas Carter, into Women in Ground Close Combat Review Paper (PDF) (2014-12-18) The review, launched in May 2014, has ended the long-held view that mixed close ground combat units would… Read More

Fighting Talk on Front-Line Females

Neatly tying in with the earlier post is another article from Soldier Magazine (in the same issue): “The debate over women in combat units is intensifying as the Army’s expected announcement on its recent policy review looms. Writing in The Times, former Colonel Richard Kemp praised the bravery and performance of women serving in front-line roles such as medics and pilots,… Read More

Women: Front-line Duties & Fitness Requirements

This question was posed in the December 2014 issue of Soldier Magazine by an anonymous soldier: “With regard to the debate on females possibly being allowed to carry out front-line combat duties in Infantry units, can someone tell me whether the fitness requirements will be adjusted if they are permitted to fill these roles? Currently, other regiments give women a little extra time on aerobic assessments and require them to do… Read More

US Military Considers Separate Combat Training for Men &Women

Rowan Scarborough, in an article in the Washington Times, tells us that “the military is looking at ways to modify its training for women to help them qualify for direct ground combat roles in the infantry, tank units and special operations. Senior officers revealed the new effort this week at a hearing of the House Armed… Read More

3 Women Have, Finally, Passed the Enlisted USMC Infantry Course

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… Read More