New York Army National Guard Moves Women Into Combat Battalion Positions Including Sustainment Jobs

By U.S. ArmyFebruary 6, 2013

Women will be able to fill officer and noncommissioned officer positions in the New York Army National Guard's four combat battalions as part of a test program resulting from the proposal announced by the Department of Defense and the Army to change the policy that excluded women from ground combat units.

The program allows female officers and noncommissioned officers to serve in up to 350 positions which only male Soldiers are currently authorized to fill. Selections of eligible female Soldiers will begin as early as May 2013. These include positions as medics, intelligence analysts, human resources specialists and staff officer jobs, such as battalion logistics, intelligence, personnel, chemical warfare, signal or fire support officers.

The positions now open to women are in the enlisted grades of sergeant, staff sergeant and sergeant first class. Female officers will be able to fill positions open to second and first lieutenants and captains. The jobs are in the headquarters elements of the battalion.

Female Soldiers will be identified for these assignments based on their military occupational specialty, experience and professional development needs. Women currently in 27th Infantry Brigade Combat (IBCT) team units will be considered first for these jobs. Female Soldiers can transfer from other states to fill these jobs as well.

The jobs now open to women in the battalion headquarters are--

• Human Resources Specialist (MOS 42A)

• Chemical Operations Specialist (MOS 74D)

• Unit Supply Specialist (MOS 92Y)

• Intelligence Analyst (MOS 35F)

• Medical Specialist (MOS 68W)

• Signal Support Specialist ( MOS 25U)

• Personnel Officer ( MOS 42B)

• Chaplain (MOS 56A)

• Chemical Officer (MOS 74A)

• Fire Support Officer (MOS 13A)

• Logistics Officer (MOS 90A)

• Battalion Surgeon (MOS 62B)

• Intelligence Officer (MOS 35D)

• Medical Service Corps Officer (MOS 70B)

• Signal Officer MOS (25A)

• Physicians Assistant (MOS 65D)

Units affected by the change include the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry, located at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station; Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry, and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery, in New York City; and the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, in Utica, N.Y. The units are elements of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), headquartered in Syracuse, which just completed deploying 1,750 Soldiers to Kuwait and Afghanistan. The 27th IBCT is one of nine Army National Guard brigades that will begin integrating women into battalion headquarters elements as part of this test program.

While women have been attached to these units from other types of Army units, and have seen combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have not been assigned to these units at the battalion level or below.