Enlisted women in submarines application milestone achieved

Rear Adm. Chas Richard, Navy Live Blog
20 April 2015


As the commander for Enlisted Women in Submarines Task Force, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank the entire fleet for your dedication and support of the integration of enlisted women into the submarine service. We’ve reached a major milestone as the April 15 deadline just passed for the first round of submarine rating conversion applications.
The more than 100 applications received matched the strong support we received as we visited fleet concentration areas to share this opportunity with Sailors across the Navy. Now it is our turn to take the ball and run with it. The Task Force is excited to deep dive into the conversion packages, to review the records of these talented Sailors and to select the initial cohort of enlisted female Sailors to serve alongside the female officers already serving onboard submarines!
Once announced, the first group to be selected will need to complete their medical screening after which they will receive orders for their tailored training pipeline ultimately to report to USS Michigan. This is not the end of the story though. The Navy and the submarine force will continue this process and the next application window to integrate additional crews will be announced at the completion of this selection process. This is the first of many opportunities for enlisted women to become submariners.
The Navy, and especially the submarine community, is dedicated to providing all Sailors the opportunity to serve in the submarine force.
This is an important opportunity for individual Sailors, but also for the submarine force as a whole ... to find new talent ... to grow our skills ... to ensure we remain the premier fighting force for future generations.
Thank you to all those who applied and to the commands who supported their applications. I look forward to reporting out the names of the first enlisted female submariners in the coming weeks.

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