The U.S. Marine Corps is considering whether to allow women to attend combat training in Southern California, which currently admits only male Marines, according to a report.
Marine Corps officials told the Associated Press the shift could occur as early as next spring, which would let women attend combat training at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California. Currently, female Marines can only get combat training in Parris Island, South Carolina, while men are trained at both locations.
Top officials are also considering a plan to expand boot camp options for women. Today, all female recruits attend boot camp at Parris Island, and male recruits attend their initial training either there or in San Diego.
The Marine Corps is the only service that separates men and women for parts of boot camp, a differentiation that has earned the Marines criticism from lawmakers. The Marine Corps is also the only service to allow half of its recruits to go through boot camp without female recruits.
Women make up 8.4 percent of the Marine Corps, and the service has been examining integration of male and female Marine recruits for more than a year.
