The Army will also open headquarters positions to women in reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting and acquisition maneuver battalions.įor enlisted Soldiers, about 76 military occupational specialties that are open to both male and female Soldiers are represented within closed units. The Army will continue to open positions in closed units, initially within the headquarters of combat arms units such as infantry, armor and field artillery. McHugh spelled out the details of the Army's way ahead to integrate women into closed units. In a plan submitted to the secretary of defense in April, Secretary of the Army John M. The Army will accomplish that by opening up an additional eight active-duty BCTs to women - for a total of 17 nine Army National Guard BCTs and also positions within special operations aviation. This year, the Army has already signaled its intent to open an additional 6,000 positions within closed units. Women were assigned to maneuver battalion headquarters in nine brigade combat teams, known as BCTs, as an exception to the Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule. In 2012, the Army opened 14,000 positions in closed units to female Soldiers with the elimination of the 'co-location restriction' through its 'Exception to Policy' program. This step will not involve opening closed MOSs to women, but rather, opening closed units to allow women to serve there in MOSs that are already open to both genders.Īlready, the Army has made headway in this area, Bromberg said. One of the first steps the Army will take is to open those closed units. Today in the Army, some combat units at battalion level and below are still closed to women. The Army's plan, like the plans from other services, include first opening closed units to women, and then opening all closed military occupational specialties, or MOSs, to women. Howard Bromberg, Army G-1, during a June 18 multi-service briefing in the Pentagon.īromberg and representatives from the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations Command explained how they would implement their specific plans to integrate women into all areas of military service.

'The Army is very excited about the approval of our implementation plan to move forward,' said Maj. 1, 2016, women will be able to apply to all military occupational specialties, and to all Army units, across the total force. WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jun 18, 2013) - No later than Jan. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Albarran with Task Force 38's B Company, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, volunteered for the job as door gun. Crisma Albarran detaches an ammunition case from its mount after a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flight over Iraq, March 14, 2010. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. 1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S.

When did combat arms come out