By Chris Carroll
Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON —
Starting in April, female soldiers will be eligible to serve in about 33,000 positions previously off-limits to them because of a now-canceled policy designed to keep women out of combat.
The positions are in 132 military occupational specialties, including Black Hawk pilot, paralegal specialist and geospatial engineer.
Women had already been doing each of the jobs elsewhere in the Army, officials said. What’s new is that they will soon be eligible to serve in direct ground combat units below brigade level throughout the Army.
“This will allow more flexibility in determining how who gets assigned to a position,” said Col. Linda Sheimo, head of the command programs and policy division for the Army deputy chief of staff for personnel.
“The focus of the Army implementation plan is to have the best soldier in our Army, and we are on track to accomplish that.”
The Army opened 22,000 such positions beginning in May 2012, when it allowed women to begin serving in maneuver battalions in nine brigades as part of an assessment period.
The number of brigades was expanded to 26 last summer.
Almost 600 women have since been assigned to those brigades.
The Department of Defense notified Congress of the Army’s latest move on Jan. 17. The positions should open up around April 4, unless Congress passes legislation to prevent it, she said.
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the end of the ground combat exclusion policy in January 2013, shortly before he left the Pentagon.
The newly announced positions open to women do not include MOSes such as infantry, nor do they cover special operations units.
U.S. Special Operations Command is conducting its own assessment of how to open additional jobs to women.
According to the timeline Panetta announced, the military has until 2016 to fully integrate women into the force.
When asked about the opening of combat unit positions to women in a press briefing Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel shares Panetta’s commitment to integrating female troops as much as possible.
“And he’s committed, as was Secretary Panetta before him, to removing as many barriers to that service as possible and to make the military service a vocation that one wants to pursue and can pursue for a career,” Kirby said.
The jobs …
The Department of Defense has notified Congress of the following positions that are now open to women:
12C Bridge crew member
12D Diver
12H Construction engineering supervisor
12N Horizontal construction engineer
12R Interior electrician
12X General engineering supervisor
12Y Geospatial engineer
12Z Combat engineering senior sergeant
13T Field artillery surveyor/meteorological crew member
13Z Field artillery senior sergeant
14J Air defense C41 tactical operations center enhanced operator-maintainer
14S Air & missile defense (AMD) crew member
15E Unmanned aircraft system
15W Unmanned aerial vehicle operator
25B Information technology specialist
25C Radio operator-maintainer
25E Electromagnetic spectrum manager nodal network systems operator-maintainer
25F Network switching systems operator-maintainer
25L Cable systems installer-maintainer
25P Microwave systems operator-maintainer
25Q Multichannel transmission systems operator-maintainer
25S Satellite communications systems operator-maintainer
25T Satellite/microwave systems chief
25U Signal support systems chief
25W Telecommunications operations chief
25X Senior signal sergeant
25Z Visual information operations chief
27D Paralegal specialist
29E Electronic warfare specialist
31B Military Police
35F Intelligence analyst
35G Imagery analyst
35L Counter intelligence agent
35M Human intelligence collector
35N Signals intelligence analyst
35P Cryptologic linguist intelligence senior sergeant/chief
35T Military intelligence systems maintainer/integrator
35X Intelligence sergeant
35Z SIGINT senior sergeant/chief
37F Psychological operations specialist
38B Civil affairs specialist
42A Human resources specialist
46Q Public affairs specialist
46R Public affairs broadcast specialist
56M Chaplain assistant
68S Preventive medicine specialist
68W Health care specialist
74D CBRN specialist
79S Active duty career counselor
88M Motor transport operator
88N Transportation management coordinator
89B Ammunition specialist
89D EOD specialist
91B Wheeled vehicle repairer
91C Utilities equipment repairer
91D Power generation equipment repairer
91E Allied trades specialist
91F Small arms/artillery repairer
91G Fire control repairer
91H Tracked vehicle repairer
91J Quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer
91L Construction equipment repairer
91X Maintenance supervisor
91Z Senior maintenance supervisor
92A Automated logistical specialist
92F Petroleum supply specialist
92G Food service specialist
92R Parachute rigger
92S Shower/laundry & clothing repair specialist
92W Water treatment specialist
92Y Unit supply specialist
94E Radio & COMSEC repairer
94F Computer/detection systems repairer
94M Radar repairer
94W Electronic maintenance chief
94Z Senior electronic maintenance chief
00B General officer
01A Officer generalist
12A Engineer
12B Combat engineer
12D FCCME
14A Air defense artillery
25A Signal, general
27A Judge advocate general
31A Military Police
35D All source intelligence
36A Financial manager
37A Psychological operations
38A Civil affairs (AA and USAR)
42B Human resources officer
50A Force development
51A Systems development
51C Contract & industrial management
51R Systems automation acquisition & engineering
51T Test & evaluation
51Z Acquisition
56A Command & unit chaplain
57A Simulations operations officer
59A Strategist
60A Operational medicine
61N Flight surgeon
62B Field surgeon
65D Physician assistant
70B Health services administration
70H Health services plans, operations, intelligence, security and training
70K Health services material
74A CBRN
90A Logistics
91A Maintenance & munitions material officer
92A Quartermaster, general
011A Branch MOS immaterial
120A Construction engineering technician
131A Field artillery targeting technician
140A Command and control systems integrator
150U Tactical unmanned aerial systems operations technician
153D UH-60 pilot
154C CH-47 pilot
155A Fixed wing aviator (aircraft nonspecific)
251A Information systems technician
254A Signal systems support technician
255A Information services technician
255S Cyberspace defense technician
255Z Cyberspace network operations technician
290A Electronic warfare technician
350F All source intelligence technician
740A Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) warrant officer
890A Ammunition technician
915A Automotive maintenance warrant officer
915E Senior automotive maintenance officer
919A Engineer equipment maintenance warrant officer
920A Property accounting technician
921A Airdrop systems technician
