Navy SEALs leader backs women in combat crews

WASHINGTON — The commander of the Navy’s special warfare units is recommending that the SEALs and combat crew jobs be opened to women, but he warns that women will have greater risk of injury and says the service may be pressured to adjust or lower standards for the jobs.

The Army, Navy and Air Force are expected to open all positions to women, but Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, who just left his post as commandant of the Marine Corps, has recommended that certain Marine infantry and ground combat jobs remain closed to women.

Allowing all qualified candidates to “test themselves” against the difficult physical, mental and other standards required to become a special warfare officer “is ultimately the right thing to do and is clearly consistent with the struggle over centuries to fully represent our nation’s values of fairness and equal opportunity,” his memo opens.

[...] he said, the effort to integrate the units and change the culture “will channel focus and energy away from core combat readiness and effectiveness efforts.”

Over the past several years, as the military services have studied and debated the integration of women into combat, there have been persistent concerns about how well they can handle the more extreme physical demands of the jobs and the possible long-term medical impact that may go with it.