Washington: A woman has joined a US Navy special warfare unit for the first time, the latest gender barrier to fall in the five years since women became eligible to apply for any combat job in the military.
The service said Thursday that the woman was the first female graduate from a Navy special warfare training pipeline that directly supports the SEALs and other elite commando units.
A Navy spokeswoman said the woman would not be identified, which is a standard policy for members of the special forces.
In a statement, Rear Adm. Hugh W. Howard III, the commander of the US Naval Special Warfare Command, said the woman’s graduation represented “an extraordinary accomplishment.”