A third female student in the Army’s prestigious Ranger School will graduate from the grueling program, officials announced.
The student is the last remaining female soldier of the original group of 19 women who tried out for the Army Ranger School in April.
She will earn the coveted Ranger Tab along with 87 men, according to an Oct. 12 press release from the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Media reports have identified the student as Maj. Lisa Jaster, 37. The Army has not publicly identified her.
The student, a West Point graduate, had to repeat all three phases of the punishing two-month course. When she graduates on Oct. 16, she will have spent 180 days in the course, according to the press release.
She follows two of her Ranger School classmates, Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, who made history when they earned their tabs in an Aug. 21 ceremony at Fort Benning, becoming the first women to complete the course.
The women enrolled in the course as part of the Army’s gender-integrated assessment to determine whether and how to integrate women into combat roles.
The experiment has fallen under harsh scrutiny, with many questioning whether the Army has lowered its standards to accommodate the women, while others lauded the female students.
The Army in September said it has now opened the Ranger School to all qualified soldiers, regardless of gender.
The Army, along with other service branches, have submitted recommendations to the Defense Department to determine which jobs may or may not be opened to female soldiers.
The Army has already opened its combat engineer and field artillery military occupational specialties to women.
It remains to be seen whether the Army will open its infantry, armor and special operations ranks to women. A decision isn’t expected until the end of the year.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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