In 2015, the ban on women in combat was lifted leading to a slow but steady expansion of positions open to women in the U.S. Armed Services. The percentage of women in the U.S. military has been rising slowly in recent years; with women now representing 16 percent of our forces.
Organizations and missions, once open to only males, now see women serving with distinction. In 2019, the first woman completed the physically and mentally grueling two-week Navy SEAL Officer selection process. By April of 2020, 50 women have graduated from the Army’s Ranger School. The Army has recently announced that another woman successfully passed Special Forces training and intends to join the Green Berets. Women are now serving, and leading, in infantry units across the Army.
Also in 2020, Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle earned her wings to become the US Navy's first Black female fighter pilot and later this year the Army will integrate female infantry and armor Soldiers into its final nine brigade combat teams.
Women not only are making exceptional contributions in the military, but are also using their skills and experiences from their service to make contributions to their communities and to become public service leaders. They are leaving a blueprint to encourage and empower the next generation of young women to aspire to be anything they want to be.
“From a strategic standpoint… women are people too. Equally motivated to preserve life, fight for liberty, and pursue happiness... Leadership is about recognizing potential in people and catalyzing it. Women are people, and if you can’t recognize potential in women, you’re not leading. You’re following along with the status quo. … If we want freedom and security in the world, we have to fight for freedom for everybody.”