Navy Admiral Says Women Should Be Allowed to Join Navy SEALs

The first real-life G.I. Jane might be coming soon.

Admiral Jon Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations, told the Navy Times and Defense News that he and Rear Admiral Brian Losey, who heads the Naval Special Warfare Command, believe that if a woman passes the famously rigorous six-month Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, they should be allowed to be part of the elite team.

“Why shouldn’t anybody who can meet these [standards] be accepted? And the answer is, there is no reason,” Greenert said. “So we’re on a track to say, ‘Hey look, anybody who can meet the gender non-specific standards, then you can become a SEAL.'”

This has been a fantastic week for women aspiring to join the elite ranks of the American military: On Monday, two women passed the grueling Ranger School test and are set to the be the first females to graduate from the Ranger School.

Losey was part of a comprehensive review that recommended women be integrated into the Navy if they meet the same standards as applied to men. The Navy currently has sparse representation of women in elite sections of the branch: among 1,153 divers, only seven are women, and only ten women are part of the 1,094-strong Explosive Ordinance Disposal team.

Each branch of the military is required to allow females into combat positions by 2016 or explain why they cannot do so.