• 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

Female Soldier Successfully Completes 2nd Pre-Ranger Course

February 27, 2015 By admin



WASHINGTON (Feb. 27, 2015) – A female first lieutenant from Fort Carson, Colorado, who flies Apache helicopters, successfully completed all course requirements of the second gender-integrated Ranger Training Assessment Course, or RTAC, which ended this week.

Of the 100 Soldiers who started this most-recent RTAC, 17 were female. Of the Soldiers who completed the course successfully, 35 were male and one was female, said Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, who spoke during a media roundtable, Feb. 24.

Miller serves as commander of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Fort Benning hosts both the RTAC and the Ranger course.

The normal completion rate for the two-week RTAC hovers around 50 percent. This is the second gender-integrated RTAC this year.

The first gender-integrated RTAC course concluded Jan. 30. That course began with 122 Soldiers. Of those Soldiers, 26 were female. Of the Soldiers who completed the course successfully, 53 were male and five were female.

Successfully completing RTAC qualifies Soldiers to go on to the Army’s Ranger course. Female Soldiers, who participate in and successfully complete one of the four gender-integrated RTACs, will be able to attend the first gender-integrated Ranger course. That “Ranger Course Assessment” begins April 20.

Not all Soldiers are required to attend an RTAC before attending the Ranger course. However, successfully completing an RTAC is mandatory for all female Soldiers who want to attend Ranger course. Additionally, all National Guard Soldiers who want to attend the Ranger course must also successfully complete an RTAC. Active-duty male Soldiers who don’t work in a physically demanding environment may also attend an RTAC, Miller said.

RTAC is designed to prepare Soldiers for the physical and mental rigors of the Ranger course. For those completing RTAC, odds of their success at the Ranger course are improved, he said.

Two more gender-integrated RTACs are scheduled for this year: one in March and one in April. Like the two now-completed gender-integrated RTACs, slots are being reserved in each of these courses for 40 female Soldiers. However, as was seen in the first two gender-integrated RTACs, there may not be 40 female Soldiers who ask to participate.

ONE STANDARD FOR ALL

Standard for males and females will continue to be the same as they have always been at both RTAC and the Ranger course, Miller said.

The demanding standards were not bent at all for anyone, and that accounts for the high attrition rates for all Soldiers, who fail for any number of reasons including medical and physical. And for some, the stress is just too great and they opt out, he said — male as well as female.

Helping to ensure that the standards remained the same for all participants were 17 enlisted and eight commissioned “observer-advisors,” or O-As, said to Sgt. 1st Class Tiffany Easter, an O-A.

An additional duty of the O-A was to advise Ranger instructors, she said, since in years past there had never been female students. Some of the advice was on sleep arrangements, latrines, and so on.

Becoming an O-A itself was a pretty rigorous process, Easter said. Training included a 12-mile foot march, a combat water survival test, and land navigation. Also, the Army looked for O-As with suitable backgrounds.

In Easter’s case, she had embedded with Special Forces Soldiers on culture support teams in remote areas of Afghanistan last year.

For her part, Easter hopes to one day attend the RTAC and then go on to the Ranger course, but for now, she said, it is more important that she helps ensure the gender integration is successful and that standards are upheld for everyone.

EVERYONE SUCCESSFUL

Some of the Soldiers who didn’t make it through RTAC opted to recycle to another course, Woodard said. Additionally, many who didn’t make it through the first week opted to stay in training for the second week, even though that would not entitle them to have successfully made it through RTAC.

“That’s noteworthy and commendable,” he said. They saw the “intrinsic value of the training” and will return to their units as better Soldiers.

“Anytime Soldiers raise their hands and volunteer for a tough course, I admire that,” Miller said. “And this is about the toughest course the Army has. The operating force will receive more well-trained Soldiers because of this experience.”

Filed Under: Army, daniel articles, Top News

Recent Posts

  • 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
  • Top 5  Military Home Loans for Active Duty Service Members
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

Autobiography Compares Living Faithfully With Navy SEAL Training (BUD/S).

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

  • 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
  • Top 5  Military Home Loans for Active Duty Service Members

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.