Hundreds of More than 200 female enlisted Marines who successfully completed training for ground combat arms will officially be able to move into those jobs, are officially receiving their additional military occupational specialties, and that allows them to make lateral moves into MOSs that had been closed to women, the Marine Corps announced on Wednesday.
The more than 200 female enlisted Marines who graduated from Infantry Training Battalion or other military occupational specialty schools previously closed to women will have the opportunity to request a lateral move into the jobs for which they qualified.
"Our Marines earned this," Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said in a news release. "They volunteered, worked hard, completed the training, and earned these MOS's."
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced on Dec. 3 that all of the military services would open combat jobs to women, including the Marine Corps, which had asked for the gender-restrictions to remain on some combat arms positions MOSs.
"Given the Secretary of Defense's decision last month, we now have the authority to award those qualified Marines the additional MOS, and we'll continue to keep faith with them," Neller said in Wednesday's news release. "For Marines who are eligible and interested, they can now request to serve in those previously closed jobs."
Of the more than 400 enlisted female Marines who participated in the Marine Corps' Ground Combat Element Integrated Task Force study:, 100 graduated from the ITB nfantry Training Battalion as riflemen; seven as light armored vehicle crewmen, 25 as machine gunners, 29 as mortarmen; 12 as infantry assaultmen and 11 as anti-tank missilemen, according to a Marine Corps official. Another nine graduated as tank crew members, 18 as amphibious assault vehicle crew members, and 29 as field artillery cannoneers.
The Marine Corps formally announced that these Marines would receive their additional military occupational specialties in MARADMIN 017/16.
"Marines with newly assigned ground combat arms AMOSs who desire a lateral move to a ground combat arms Primary Military Occupational Specialty (PMOS) are encouraged to submit to this Headquarters via the Marine Corps Total Force Retention System," the MARADMIN states says.
Those lateral moves will be reviewed once Defense Secretary Ashton Carter approves reviews the Marine Corps’ full entire gender integration plan, according to the Wednesday’s news release says. The Marine Corps plans to integrate all combat jobs by April 1.
"The Commandant and I are extremely proud of those Marines who participated during the two-year research effort in order to help the Marine Corps continue its ongoing gender integration efforts," Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald Green said in the news release. "Their dedication has helped us develop a well-planned and responsible integration process that ensures the Marine Corps remains prepared to answer our nation's call, while reinforcing our standards and core values."
Cpl. Remedios Cruz, who participated in the Marine Corps' nine-month integration study task force and graduated from ITB the School of Infantry, said that she plans to apply for a lateral move to become a rifleman.
"I love the camaraderie that you get in the ground combat MOSs that you don't always get in support MOSs," she told Marine Corps Times on Wednesday. "Going through the experience has made it a solid goal for me to want to be an infantry rifleman."
