Army, Navy and Air Force officials are rejecting a suggestion by an advisory panel of academics and retired military officers to separate men and women in basic training. A senior military official said, “We want to train as we fight … We are not going to gender segregate.”
The panel, led by former Kansas Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker, based their recommendation on what they saw as a need for safety for the women, and a lack of military values.
Military officials from the three services agree that safety is a concern and will be putting more barriers between the floors in barracks where men and women are housed.
Women are still prohibited from serving in the infantry, tank units or special operations forces that would involve close combat with the enemy, but they are flying in combat aircraft and helicopters.
Women and men are still trained separately in the Marine Corps.
