via Marine Times.
Expanded infantry training for women does not mean the Marine Corps is ready to send women into combat assignments, the Corps’ top personnel official said WednesdayRead the whole thing at there site.
“Assignment policy for women has not changed,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Milstead Jr., the deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs.
“We are not training women to be infantry officers,” he said. “We do not have that authority. That authority rests with Congress.”
His comments came before the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel, where the panel chairman is Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., a former Navy secretary and Marine combat veteran. Webb said the decision is controversial, and that he will be closely watching.
As Marine Corps Times reported last week, the service is in the midst of an extensive research effort to determine what additional jobs could be opened to women. Plans call for sending an undetermined number of female volunteers to the Infantry Officers Course, a three-month program in Quantico, Va., where Marine officers are groomed to serve in direct combat roles and lead troops into battle.
i dont think so, it seems like the marines were wanting to try out women in combat units but they could not legally put women in combat units officially. Its against federal law to do so, changing that would require congress approval, so they can do test programs and training but they need congressional approval to do anything else. It seems they are putting women through the training as a feasibility study to do make a pitch to congress and work out the issues that may arise.
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