PROGRESS

Military Recruits Women for Combat Roles

Services begin assigning females to male-only jobs.

New plans endorsed by Defense Secretary Ash Carter show the U.S. military has already started recruiting women for combat roles, including as Navy SEALs, the AP reported Thursday. Though some of the services anticipate only a small number of women will volunteer or complete training, the Marine Corps estimates 200 women a year will move into ground combat jobs. The Navy said it began collecting submission packages from potential SEAL candidates last month and could see females in entry-level enlisted and officer training by September and October. All of the services said they have made compulsory changes to base bathrooms to accommodate women and will monitor training and possible sexual-harassment or -assault issues.