Army OKs the first women to be commissioned as infantry or armor officers
Army 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, center, and Capt. Kristen Griest, right, pose for photos with other female West Point alumni after an Army Ranger school graduation ceremony at Fort Benning, Ga. Haver and Griest became the first female graduates of the Army’s rigorous Ranger School.
Reporting from WASHINGTON — The Army says it has approved the first women to be commissioned as infantry and armor officers — leadership roles that until now were open only to men.
The Army said Friday that it had approved requests from 22 women — 13 as armor officers and nine into the infantrybranch. They will be graduating as second lieutenants from the U.S. Military Academy, as well as from Reserve Officer Training Corps programs and the Army’s Officer Candidate School.
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After commissioning, the women will have to complete infantry or armor-specific training before reporting for duty qualified to be platoon leaders.
Last month, in announcing how it will implement the full integration of women into infantry and armor units, the Army said it would start with officers, followed by enlisted soldiers.
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