For the first time, the Marine Corps expects to have a female infantry officer among its ranks
She is on track to graduate from a grueling Infantry Officer Course
Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Dan Lamothe.
The Marine Corps expects to soon have a female infantry officer, a historic first, following her anticipated graduation Monday from the service’s grueling Infantry Officer Course, said three military officials with knowledge of the training.
The lieutenant and her male colleagues completed a three-week combat exercise at the service’s training center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., on Wednesday, the final graded requirement in the 13-week program. The infantry course is widely seen as some of the toughest training in the military, with about 25 percent of all students washing out.
Who is the lieutenant?
For now, her name remains under wraps. Two officials said it is unlikely she will agree to do any media interviews, as she prefers to be a “quiet professional” and just do her job.
Three dozen women have attempted the course, but she is the first to pass. She is expected to lead a platoon of infantry Marines in a service that is often seen as the most resistant to full gender integration in the military.
What led to her being able to complete the course
The Defense Department began researching how the military could integrate all-male units, and in 2012, the Marines opened the Infantry Officer Course to women on an experimental basis.
Thirty-two women tried the course before the research ended in spring 2015, and none completed it.
Then, in 2015, the Pentagon opened all jobs to women as part of an effort by the Obama administration to make the armed forces fully inclusive.
Four additional female Marines then attempted the course, including the lieutenant expected to graduate Monday. At least one of those four women attempted the course twice, but did not complete it.
