Army adjusts ‘leader first’ policy, plans to integrate women into last 9 brigade combat teams this year

Army policy was to have two female leaders in any combat arms company in order to assign junior enlisted to that company. Due to a lack of female combat arms NCOs and junior officers this standard has been relaxed.

Oh, and those Soldiers practicing urban warfare need to have their helmets and body armor on. Train as you fight or you will bleed more when it is real.

The Army says it will integrate female infantry and armor troops into its last nine brigade combat teams this year, as leaders loosen the requirements governing how many female mentors must be in units before lower ranking women arrive there, the service announced last week.

The Army’s “leaders first” gender integration policy previously required there to be at least two female leaders in each company with junior enlisted women, ostensibly providing mentors and role models for both men and women. The policy has already shifted since it was introduced, but it last necessitated one female infantry or armor leader in each company, along with another woman of any job, such as a supply or signal non-commissioned officer.


That’s now being adjusted to require only one female leader, E-5 or above, of any military occupation specialty assigned at the company level, said Lt. Col. Junel Jeffrey, a spokeswoman for the Army’s deputy chief of staff for personnel.


“Because junior enlisted soldiers look to their NCOs for mentorship and guidance, the Army adjusted focus on the NCO leaders (such as signal NCOs and supply sergeants) within the unit, rather than infantry or armor officers,” Jeffrey stated in an email.


The policy adjustment also allows the director of the Army National Guard to lift the leader’s first policy for battalions that have successfully integrated junior enlisted women into at least one of their companies for more than one year, according to a recent Army news release.


Gender integration has partially been slowed by not having enough female infantry and armor leaders available, the release stated. Women currently make up less than 2 percent of the infantry and armor force. Roughly 600 women are in infantry career fields, attending training to do so or in the accession pipeline, according to the Army. For armor soldiers, that number is more than 560.