Women Ranger Up

For John, BLUF:  Ranger course is not for everyone.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From The Christian Science Monitor we have a thoughtful article on the first women to undertake US Army Ranger Training, a grueling 62 day course that is a touchstone for what makes an infantryman.  The Reporter is Ms Anna Mulrine, of U.S. News & World ReportThe Christian Science Monitor, who is a Pentagon reporter.  The Headline is "Breaking military's ultimate glass ceiling?  Women start Ranger training." The issue of women in combat has been swirling around the military and there are strong opinions on many sides.  To understand how tough this training is, and how it both men and women are challenged in every class, of the 381 men who joined this class, 197 were dropped in the first week.  That is a 52% wash back rate.  From the article:

Holding the line on standards at the storied school has been the mantra here.  The school is one of the toughest in the US military.  Only 20 percent of men who attempt it make it through the first time, and the ones who keep at it often require two or three tries.

Overall graduation rates, including those who are recycled, hovers around 50%.

In reading the story and considering this story and the long term implications of women in combat, we should consider that women are a diverse group.  And society doesn't seem to have a consistent view of what we want of women when it comes to war.  For example, do we want women to be eligible for the draft?  Should they be registering now, as men do at age 18?

I wish the women on the Ranger Course the very best of luck in earning their ranger tabs.

UPDATE:  Ms Anna Mulrine has moved on from U.S. News & World Report to The Christian Science Monitor.

Regards  —  Cliff