Marine Corps Expects to Have First Female Infantry Officer

The Marine Corps is expected to have its first female infantry officer in history, The Washington Post reports.

The female lieutenant, who was not identified, is anticipated to graduate from the service's demanding Infantry Officer Course on Monday, three officials told the newspaper. About 25 percent of all students wash out of the infantry course, which is seen as some of the most grueling training in the military, the Post noted.

The unidentified female is the first of 36 women who have attempted the course to pass.

In the past, the Marines were often viewed as the most resistant to full gender integration in the military, the Post noted. But in 2015, then–Defense Secretary Ash Carter decided to open all combat roles to women, and ended the ban on their service on the front lines, ABC News reported.

After graduation, the woman is expected to lead a platoon of infantry Marines, according to the Post.

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