• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

US Military

  • Branches
    • Army
    • Navy
    • Air Force
    • Marine Corps
    • Coast Guard
    • National Guard
    • Air National Guard
    • Find A Recruiter
  • Find A Recruiter
  • Military Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • VA Loans
    • Military Scholarships
    • Military Friendly Colleges
    • Money
  • Jobs
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Veteran Jobs
    • Civilian Jobs
  • VA Loan Rates
  • Military News
    • Top News
    • Benefits
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Featured Columnists
      • Larry Fowler
      • Scott Ostrow
      • Kim Lengling
      • Dr. Sasha Toperich
      • Rick Stewart
  • GI Bill
  • VA Loans
  • Military Scholarships
  • Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities in America

Army Opens 20,563 Engineering Positions to Women

June 22, 2015 By admin

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 22, 2015) – Military Occupational Specialty, or MOS, 12B, Combat Engineer is now open to all female enlisted Soldiers of all components, according to Army Directive 2015-27.

The June 16 directive from Army Secretary John M. McHugh makes available 20,563 additional positions for women and opens the last of the 16 engineer MOSs, which were closed to women. The only positions not open to women in engineering are in certain special operations units.

Female officers were previously assigned as combat engineers “to provide a support network for junior female Soldiers and to offer advice to the unit’s male leadership,” said McHugh, who signed Army Directive 2014-16, June 17, 2014, making that happen.

Col. Linda Sheimo, chief of the Command Programs and Policy Division at the Directorate of Military Personnel Management, Army G-1, said the decision to open these positions to female Soldiers was made after U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command completed extensive validation studies.

“The Army remains on the cutting edge of determining scientifically-based occupational accessions standards for all military occupational specialties,” Sheimo said. “Validating these physical standards enhances our ability to predict an applicant’s ability to perform the critical, physically demanding tasks of MOSs.”

Women, as well as men, who do not meet the standards, will not be allowed into MOS 12B, or, for that matter, any other MOS, she emphasized. She explained that the standards are, and will remain, fair and transparent.

“The Army’s plan is to continue removing barriers to allow the best-qualified Soldiers to serve in any position, where they are capable of performing to standard,” Sheimo said. “This is about enhancing force capability and readiness while retaining the trust and confidence of the American people in our Army’s ability to defend the nation.”

The seven so-called “skill identifiers” in MOS 12B are:

2C (Javelin Gunnery),

6B (Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course),

B6 (Combat Engineer Heavy Truck),

D3 (Bradley Fighting Vehicle Operations and Maintenance),

J3 (Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, or BIFV, System Master Gunner),

K9 (Combat Engineer Mine Detection Dog Handler), and

S4 (Sapper Leader). This directive applies to all three Army components.

Soldiers in MOS 12B are expected to be proficient at a wide-variety of tasks, including demolitions, route and mine clearing, constructing fighting positions, erecting fixed and floating bridges and operating heavy equipment.

Filed Under: Army, Careers, daniel articles, Top News

Recent Posts

  • What Makes Navy SEALs The Best Special Forces Operators in the World Today?
  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
VA Loans

Primary Sidebar

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

USMilitary.com is a privately owned website and is NOT AFFILIATED (or endorsed) with the U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, or DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

USMilitary.com Career Guide

Sign up to receive USMilitary.com email updates and to hear what's going on with all military branches!

Featured Columnists

Larry Fowler

Larry Fowler is the publisher of USMilitary.com Network one of America's premier privately owned

Do You Know The Army’s Most Dangerous Jobs?

Scott Ostrow

Lt Col (Dr.) Scott A. Ostrow retired from the Air Force in September 2005 and has been teaching

Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today

Kim Lengling

Kim Lengling is a Air Force Veteran whose passion is to help support veterans and their

This Memorial Day: The Knock On The Door

Dr. Sasha Toperich

Dr. Sasha Toperich is the Senior Executive Vice President at Transatlantic Leadership

Sarraj’s Dangerous Dance With Power

Rick Stewart

Rick Stewart is a former United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)

Announcing American Patriots Unsung Magazine

Nathan B. Nelson

Capt (ret) Nathan B. Nelson is the Director of Military Affairs for the 1st Congressional district

Three Critical Considerations for Every Veteran Prior to Leaving Active Duty

Laquan Daniels

Laquan Daniel is a military recruiting expert with over 17 years of specialized experience in the

Important News For Military Transitioning Veterans

Veteran Buzz

High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

5 High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

July 2, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

High Paying Jobs Not Requiring a Degree

June 28, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

7 Best Military Careers That Lead To High Paying Civilian Jobs

June 10, 2018 By larryf

VA Loans

Footer

  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write For US
  • Link to Us

Recent

  • What Makes Navy SEALs The Best Special Forces Operators in the World Today?
  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army

Search

© Copyright 2022 USMillitary
Web Design by Goebel Media Group


THIS IS A PRIVATE WEBSITE THAT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, OR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE NOT REVIEWED THIS INFORMATION. THIS SITE IS NOT CONNECTED WITH ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.