The first female student was admitted to Japan’s national naval submarine academy Wednesday after the end of a ban on women on the country’s submarines. Saki Takenouchi, 26, entered the academy in a western region of Hiroshima along with about 20 other men, after the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force overturned previous restrictions. “I hope not […]

DefenceTalkWomen have played a vital role in forming the U.S. Army since 1775. From Molly Pitcher to those now serving, their accomplishments have shaped not just the Army, but the country. Recent strides toward full integration include the first women graduating from Ranger School, the first women reporting for infantry and armor training, and the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/womens-history-month-14-who-helped-pave-way-for-integrated-us-army-69495/

DefenceTalkThe US Army said Friday it will commission 22 women as infantry and armor officers under historic new rules allowing females to serve in ground combat roles. Defense Secretary Ash Carter in December announced a sweeping directive to open all military occupations to women this year, including front-line combat roles. The 22 women have almost […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-approves-first-female-officers-for-ground-combat-67263/

DefenceTalkThe US military will inevitably have to lower its physical requirements so more women can fill infantry and commando roles, a top general said Friday. The comments from John Kelly, a four-star Marine general who is retiring from the head of the military’s Southern Command, came just over a month after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-general-fears-military-will-lower-standards-for-women-66323/

DefenceTalkWASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced today that beginning in January 2016, all military occupations and positions will be open to women, without exception. For the first time in U.S. military history, as long as they qualify and meet specific standards, the secretary said women will be able to contribute to the Defense Department mission […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-opens-all-military-occupations-positions-to-women-65972/

DefenceTalkWashington: US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will announce Thursday that he is ordering the military to open all combat positions to women, a US official said. Speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of Carter’s press briefing at the Pentagon, the official said, “Yes, he will announce” the move. The official said the changes would be […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-to-open-all-combat-positions-to-women-65968/

DefenceTalkThe US Navy plans to open its famed SEAL fighting units to women, provided they can pass the notoriously difficult training course, Defense News reported Tuesday (Aug 18). The move comes as the military announced that two American women will on Friday become the first female soldiers to graduate from the elite Ranger School combat […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-to-let-women-try-out-for-navy-seals-report-65039/

DefenceTalkMilitary Occupational Specialty, or MOS 12B, Combat Engineer is now open to all female enlisted Soldiers of all components, according to Army Directive 2015-27. The June 16 directive from Army Secretary John M. McHugh makes available 20,563 additional positions for women and opens the last of the 16 engineer MOSs, which were closed to women. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-opens-20563-engineering-positions-to-women-64614/

DefenceTalkPakistan’s first group of female paratroopers completed their training on Sunday, the military announced, hailing it as a “landmark achievement” for the deeply conservative Muslim country. Captain Kiran Ashraf was declared the best paratrooper of the batch of 24, the military said in a statement, while Captain Sadia, referred to by one name, became the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/first-pakistani-women-paratroopers-make-history-48436/

DefenceTalkThe Air Force released details of the service’s plan to fully integrate women into previously closed career fields June 18. The implementation plan was recently submitted to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel for review. More than 99 percent of Air Force positions are currently already open to female Airmen. In fact, 2013 marks the twentieth […]https://www.defencetalk.com/air-force-sets-plan-to-integrate-women-in-combat-jobs-by-2016-48168/