As women join subs, male force holds steady - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

As women join subs, male force holds steady

The Navy appears to be hedging its bets on whether women are going to work out as members of submarine crews.

In written testimony provided Wednesday to a Senate committee, the Navy’s assistant secretary for manpower said efforts are underway to begin training women to serve in submarines, beginning with officers assigned to large guided-missile and ballistic-missile submarines.

“As a measure of extra caution, the Navy will not reduce the number of male officers training and qualified for submarine duty until we have experience with successfully placing female officers in those roles,” said Juan Garcia, in a statement for the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on personnel.

No questions about the Navy’s plans were raised during the hearing.

Garcia said the plan to end the ban would lift “one of the last gender barriers” and also helps “insulate us from the anticipated surge in hiring by the civilian nuclear power industry in the decades to come.

“Because of the critical mission and demanding environment of the submarine force, we envision a gradual and measured approach to this integration,” Garcia said. Initial efforts will concentrate on officers serving in bigger subs “where the existing infrastructure will accommodate these changes without material alteration,” he said.