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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 26 september 2018

Mattis: Jury is out on women succeeding in combat jobs

By LOLITA C. BALDOR tect the children and “who in North Carolina.
Associated Press reaches for the phone to The Army has also seen an
WASHINGTON (AP) — The call 911.” He didn’t offer increase in the number of
jury is still out on whether suggestions on what the women in combat units,
women can be success- answer would be. including in infantry jobs.
ful in infantry jobs, Defense The Army and Marine Corps So far, there are 51 female
Secretary Jim Mattis said have acknowledged that infantry officers and 253
Tuesday, while offering stu- the number of women women in the enlisted ranks
dents at the Virginia Military seeking infantry jobs will of the infantry, according
Institute a dim view of fe- probably be small. And to the Army. Another 51
male troops serving on the women have struggled to women are serving in the
front line. pass the demanding train- officer and enlisted ranks
Mattis, a retired Marine, ing courses. in the Army Reserve. In
said there are too few As of late August, there addition, 17 women have
women in the infantry ranks were just 26 female enlist- passed the Army’s grueling
to provide enough data In this Sept. 18, 2018, file photo, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ed Marines in the infantry two-month Ranger course.
to determine how they’re speaks to reporters as he waits for the arrival of Philippine and one female officer, Because of the growth,
doing. And he said he has Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana at the Pentagon. according to the Marine Army leaders earlier this
asked Army and Marine Associated Press Corps. More broadly, how- year decided to integrate
leaders for information to Secretary Leon Panetta from a male student, who ever, the number of wom- female officers into infan-
determine if having women opened the door to wom- described some of his fe- en in Marine combat units try and armor brigades at
in a “close-quarters fight” is en serving in combat jobs. male classmates as fierce, that were previously open three additional military
a strength or a weakness. The military services studied Mattis said the issue must only to men has grown bases: Fort Carson in Colo-
“There are a few stalwart the issue, and in their final be resolved by military of- steadily, from 254 last year rado, Fort Campbell in Ken-
young ladies who are recommendations only the ficers who are objective to 382 this year — a 50 per- tucky, and Fort Bliss in Texas.
charging into this, but they Marine Corp leaders ar- and understand that the cent increase. The increase — from two
are too few,” Mattis said gued for an exception so natural inclination is to This year, for the first time, bases now to five — means
during a visit to VMI, which they could keep certain have service open to all. female Marines were al- there will be women in in-
is in Lexington, Virginia. infantry and ground com- But, he added, “we cannot lowed to attend the pre- fantry and armor units at 45
“Clearly the jury is out on it, bat jobs open only to men. do something that militarily viously male-only entry- percent of the Army instal-
but what we’re trying to do In December 2015, then- doesn’t make sense.” level course at the Marine lations that have combat
is give it every opportunity Defense Secretary Ash Mattis likened the issue to Combat Training Battalion brigades.
to succeed if it can.” Carter rejected the Corps’ having someone break at Camp Pendleton, Cali- Until now, the integrated
He said he hopes to get request and ordered all into your house and hav- fornia. Before that, women units were only at Fort Hood
data from the Army and combat posts be opened ing to decide “who grabs only attended combat in Texas and Fort Bragg in
Marine Corps soon. to women. the baseball bat” to pro- training at Camp Lejeune North Carolina.q
In early 2013, then-Defense Responding to a question
U.S. attorneys general discuss social

media privacy concerns

By MICHAEL BALSAMO
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A
meeting between top
state law enforcement offi-
cials and Attorney General
Jeff Sessions about how
the government can safe-
guard the privacy of social
media users ended Tues-
day without a decision on
whether to investigate.
The gathering at the Justice
Department was sched-
uled to discuss whether
tech giants are “stifling the Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during the Office of
free exchange of ideas” Justice Programs’ National Institute of Justice Opioid Research
and examine whether they Summit in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 25.
“may be hurting competi- Associated Press
tion.” sissippi, Nebraska, Tennes- online digital platforms.”
But California Attorney see, Utah and Washington, Although there wasn’t an
General Xavier Becerra, a D.C., attended. Five other immediate decision on
Democrat, says the one- states sent senior deputies. whether to open an inves-
hour meeting mainly fo- Justice Department officials tigation, the attorneys gen-
cused on consumer pro- said the meeting “cen- eral discussed the nuances
tection and data privacy tered on ways the Depart- and interpretation of pri-
issues. Attorneys general ment and state govern- vacy and what might con-
from Alabama, California, ments can most effectively stitute a monopoly in the
Louisiana, Maryland, Mis- safeguard consumers using tech sector, Becerra said.q