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ByLolitaC.Baldor The Associated Press WASHINGTON Six months after the Pentagon ordered all combat jobs open to women, seven female Ma- rines are either serving in those posts or waiting to serve, and 167 are perform- ing noncombat duties in front-line units, according to new data obtained by The Associated Press. The numbers underscore the difficulty of integrating women into the demand- ing jobs, and reflect the small number of women who want to be combat Ma- rines and can pass the new tough physical standards required to qualify. So far this year those standards have weeded out most fe- male hopefuls and have also disqualified some men. Six out of seven female recruits — and 40 out of about 1,500 male recruits — failed to pass the new reg- imen of pull-ups, ammuni- tion-can lifts, a 3-mile run and combat maneuvers re- quired to move on in train- ing for combat jobs, accord- ing to the data. Failing the tests, taken about 45 days into basic training, forces recruits into less physically demand- ing Marine jobs. The high failure rate for women recruits, however, raises questions about how well integration can work, including in Marine infan- try units where troops rou- tinely slog for miles carry- ing packs weighed down with artillery shells and am- munition, and at any mo- ment must be able to scale walls, dig in and fight in close combat. The new standards are a product of the Pentagon's decision to allow women to compete for front-line jobs, including infantry, artillery and other combat posts. But Marine leaders say they are also screening out less phys- ically powerful Marines — both men and women. "I think that's made ev- erybody better," Marine Commandant Gen. Rob- ert Neller told the AP in his first in-depth interview on the subject. "We're trying to raise everybody's bar a little bit and we're trying to fig- ure out how to get closer to- gether, because at the end of the day we're all going to be on the battlefield and we all have to be able to do our job." The seven women al- ready serving in combat jobs or in the pipeline are almost all Marine officers who requested open com- bat posts. The one recruit among the seven has enlisted for an infantry job, but hasn't reported yet to boot camp. One of the officers was in- jured in the infantry offi- cers' course and is waiting to retake it. Two women graduated from the artil- lery officers' course — one ranked third in the class and the other graduated with honors. Three more participated in the infantry research program last year and asked to move into infantry jobs. They'll take advanced infantry training and then report to battalions this fall. The 167 other female Ma- rines are working in intelli- gence, logistics or commu- nications, but asked to be moved to front-line com- bat units. Neller said he wasn't sur- prised that few women are interested in the combat jobs. "Some of them are not interested at all, some want just to make it gender neu- tral and we'll just figure it out," Neller said. "The ma- jority of them, when you get them together, they say, 'Look, I'm not really inter- ested in this. I love being a Marine, I like what I'm do- ing as a Marine. And I'm re- ally not interested in this, but I don't want you to tell me I can't try.'" Marine Corps leaders initially balked at allow- ing women into certain infantry, reconnaissance and combat engineer jobs, pointing to studies that showed mixed gender units did not perform as well as male-only units. But De- fense Secretary Ash Carter ordered all combat jobs open to women. The Marines developed a detailed progression of physical standards that re- cruits must meet to get into the combat jobs. And offi- cials insist that standards will not be lowered to allow more women to pass. Nearly 86 percent of the women failed the tests, compared with less than 3 percent of the men. Before the standards test existed, the 40 men who failed would have moved on to combat jobs anyway, a Marine Corps analysis said. So Neller said that the over- all quality of the force will eventually improve. The tiny success rate for women presents additional challenges if only one or two qualify for a combat job in a previously male-only unit. If two women qual- ify, they will be placed in a combat unit together. But, if only one qualifies, she'll be put in a unit with men she trained alongside in school. Those men, the Ma- rine Corps said, will have seen her go through the training and know that she had done as well, or better, than they did. The Marines will also put a female officer and a female senior enlisted leader in the combat units. Early on, those will likely be women doing a noncom- bat job — such as an intel- ligence or logistics officer. And they will be required to pass a physical fitness test to qualify to serve in that combat unit. Neller said it will be an adjustment for Marines with women in previously male-only units, adding, "there are some things we're going to have to work through." Wouldhewanthisdaugh- ter to serve in the infantry? "No," was his quick an- swer. But, he added, "She should be able to do what- ever she wants to do, that she's qualified to do. So if she wanted to do it, I'd tell her about the culture and the climate and if she wanted to do it, I'd say OK, here's what we have to do to get ready. And then, if she met the standards, she should be given the oppor- tunity to compete." MILITARY Thefew,theproud,thefit:Womenstriveforcombatjobs BRUCESMITH—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Female recruits stand at the Marine Corps Training Depot on Parris Island, S.C. CLIFF OWEN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Armed Services Committee. P.O.Box220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Support our classrooms, keep kids reading. DONATE YOUR VACATION newspaper dollars to the Newspaper In Education Program HELP OUR CHILDREN Formoredetailscall Circulation Department (530) 737-5047 Please help sponsor a classroom subscription Call Kathy at (530) 737-5047 to find out how. ThroughtheNewspapersinEducation program, area classrooms receive the Red Bluff Daily News every day thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. 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