Posted on 07/21/2017 10:58:07 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The Navy says it has its first female candidates for two elite special operations jobs previously closed to women — including a prospective SEAL.
One woman is in the pipeline to be a SEAL officer, and another is on the path to becoming a special warfare combatant crewman. The news was first reported by Military.com, an independent website. The Navy declined to identify the candidates, citing security considerations.
The announcement comes more than 18 months after the Pentagon declared that women can now serve in front-line combat positions.
"They are the first candidates that have made it this far in the process," Lt. Cmdr. Mark Walton, spokesman for the Naval Special Warfare Command, told the Two-Way.
Whoever these unnamed trailblazers are, the path ahead for them won't be easy. To become a SEAL or SWCC, they'll need to make it through Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, or BUD/S, which is designed to be extremely physically and mentally demanding.
Few candidates who undertake the training emerge as SEALs or special boat operators. The enlisted SEAL attrition rate is 73 to 75 percent, according to the Navy, while the SWCC attrition rate is 63 percent.
The SEAL officer program has a higher rate of success: 65 percent of candidates make it through. The officer program isn't easier, though — the Navy attributes the differing success rates to a larger number of candidates in the enlisted program.
Female candidates for these jobs will have to complete the same training that men do, without any allowances for differing average physical capabilities.
What makes the training so difficult?
"It's different for everyone," Walton said. "It could be the physical stuff, it could be mental, it could be medical. There could be a lot of different reasons."
While the two candidates are now closer to these elite Navy positions than a woman has ever been, it may be a while before one of them finally gets the job.
"It would be premature to speculate as to when we will see the first woman SEAL or SWCC graduate," Walton told NPR. "It may take months and potentially years."
Female candidates aren't the only change to come to the Navy's elite operations. Walton confirmed that SWCC now includes one transgender person.
And if the two women in the Navy's special operations pipeline are successful, we may not get much detail.
"If you announce who they are, that removes the point of them becoming a special operator," said Walton. "I guess we'll see what we do ... when we get there."
Rumor control has it, one of the candidates is a transexual.
If Obama and now Mattis/Trump really think women and men are complete equals in strength and ability, why don’t they demand pro sports have women on their teams? How about some female NFL, NBA or MLB players on the field? Or are they not trying to destroy professional sports?
>>Rumor control has it, one of the candidates is a transexual.<<
So there are still no females?
21 days max in BUDS.
Correct!
Obama spent a great deal of time replacing the leadership in the military with fellow travelers.
Let’s hope that token women in the SEALS works out better than token Muzzies in the Minneapolis PD.
hope this is not a Somali...
Rmember in the pre internet era the constant and shameless one-sided cheerleading for Shannon Faulkner at the Citadel? USA Today essentially became her personal fanzine.
Shannon talked tough as she entered - nay, demanded and nagged to enter - the Citadel...and the fat cowardly hippo proceeded to bilge out in record time, later concocting a story about threats made.
Women in combat for the sake of women in combat is as dangerous as it is intellectually vacant.
Can’t even get a female place kicker in the nfl.
Interesting how those females were pushed through and then no more show up.
We will see the same nonsense with the SEALS.
This is all about showing us that females can do anything men can do.
I am waiting to see one in the NFL.
Like the Ranger training, they will ease up on her and pamper her through the school.
OR, until their heavy flow day, which ever comes first!
Best of luck to her. Got more guts than most in here making fun of her.
Guts are no substitute for common sense. Women do not belong in the SEALS.
Females among 'elite' ranks of men DESTROYS morale among the men. Most females could not and do not understand this, but the forces pushing this nonsense KNOW IT and THAT IS WHY THEY ARE PUSHING IT.
Elite groups of men AREN'T SO ELITE if females can do it, RIGHT? Most MALES cannot be SEALs so what makes a female think SHE can do it if most males cannot?
I want the MOST ABLE-BODIED cop.
I want the MOST ABLE-BODIED firefighter
I want the MOST ABLE-BODIED troops protecting my country!
Any role requiring superior physical strength should be filled by males and males ONLY. Why have females among these ranks if there are more than enough males for these roles?????
Our military is no place for SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS and Trump must STOP this continued DESTRUCTION of our military.
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