The year 2016 will be known as the year everything changed for the storied the Navy SEALs.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced on Dec. 3 that the military would be opening previously closed specialties to women, and with them, the Navy's last all-male units.
The plan is a couple years in the making, as the Navy announced in 2013 its intentions to open every job to female sailors. The timetable, however, has is yet to be determined.
Following his announcement, Carter notified Congress of his intentions. That started a 30-working-day clock for lawmakers to voice any objections, which could take months. Once that period has passed, Naval Special Warfare can begin implementing any changes.
"It would be premature to speculate as to when the first women would be available for SEAL or [Special Warfare Combat Crewman] SWCC training," said NSW spokesman Cmdr. Jason Salata.
Before anything happens, a new, gender-neutral fitness standard will have to be rolled out. The services have been looking at their combat specific tests to evaluate whether all of the events are job-related, Carter said.
First, women will have to select the SEAL track at boot camp or through an officer training pipeline after meeting the existing fitness standard.
The Naval Academy will begin allowing female students to screen for the SEALs in 2016, putting them on track to graduate their first female SEAL officers in 2017, academy superintendent Vice Adm. Ted Carter told an audience at a Board of Visitors meeting on Dec. 7.
"We'll be ready to put women through the screener as early as next year," Carter said. "I don't know that we could move any faster, but it could be longer depending on what the details of the policy decisions are."
For those already in the Navy, the pipeline begins with Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School, an eight-week course in Great Lakes, Illinois.
From there, it's on to 24 weeks of the legendary Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in Coronado, California.
Those courses are not yet open to women and a decision has not been made on when to open them, Salata said.
"Expansion of the force will be a deliberate process; it will not take hours, days or weeks, but months and potentially years," he said.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
