The Army is looking to increase its number of female recruiting officers, and hopes to have at least one woman at each of its 780 large recruitment centers in the next three years. There are currently only 750 female recruiters out of the 8,800 in service.
Additionally, this summer the Army will introduce a new set of obstacles for recruits to conquer to better determine if hopefuls can handle tough physical labor or be better suited for administrative duties, according to ABC News. Women were officially allowed to compete for all combat positions in December, but the military insists that physical qualification tests have not been “lowered” to accommodate this change. Instead, they’re hopeful that their new recruitment efforts will help inspire women to join the forces in a range of roles:
The head of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Maj. Gen. Jeff Snow, told The Associated Press that adding more women as recruiters will give female recruits someone more credible to talk to about options for women in the military and how an Army career could affect married or family life.
But he said that getting that increase will be tough because other commands across the Army are also competing to get more women in their units.
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