WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been outspoken about his opinion that women should not serve in combat roles.
Here’s a look at how many women are in such roles in the U.S. military, as of the 2024 budget year:
Women serving in special operations
— Navy Special Warfare combat crew: 2
— Air Force special operations: 3
— Green Berets: Fewer than 10
— Completed the Army Ranger course: more than 150
— Total serving in Army Special Operations Command as special forces, civil affairs, psychological operations and helicopter pilots, including in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment: 260 to 270
Artillery, infantry and armor units
Thousands of women have served or currently are in jobs that until 2015 were male-only.
MARINES:
— Officers in job categories previously restricted to men, including infantry, artillery and combat engineers: nearly 192
— Enlisted Marines in those jobs: 410
That number has steadily increased since 2018.
ARMY:
— Serving in infantry, armor and artillery jobs: Nearly 4,800
— Field artillery roles: More than 2,020
— Infantry: More than 902
— Armor: 864
The number of women in those jobs also has increased over the years.
Baldor writes for the Associated Press.
