The saying “Rangers lead the way” can now apply to the U.S. Army’s elite school’s handling of gender issues. The U.S. Army Ranger school will receive its first women volunteers in the spring of 2015.
“The Ranger assessment course would train men and women together in order to help prepare institutions, schools and leaders for future integration decisions,” the Army said in a statement released Monday. As of now, the call is considered to be part of a one-time assessment, which will allow women from the ranks of specialist to major to see if they can meet the school’s physical demands.
“We will be prepared to execute the assessment professionally and objectively, if directed,” Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia, said in a Sept. 12 press statement, Military.com reported Monday.
Officers assert that standards at the school will not be compromised for incoming female volunteers.
U.S. Army statistics on Ranger school show that roughly 50 percent of volunteers have dropped out before graduation for the past six years and that 60 percent of Ranger School failures happen during the first four days. During “RAP Week,” soldiers must take part in land navigation courses, a road march and the Combat Water Survival Assessment (CWSA).
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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