Retired Gen. McChrystal says doors opening for female soldiers

Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment in the late 1990s, said if it were up to him, he would take the two female soldiers who graduated from Ranger School in his regiment.

“I certainly don’t want to speak for the current regiment, but I would,” the retired four-star general said Tuesday before speaking at the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum. “I think you are looking for quality people who can get things done. What I have seen of these two young ladies is reflective, absolutely.”

On Friday, Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver became the first two women in Army history to complete Ranger School and receive a Ranger tab. Their distinction comes as the Pentagon weighs opening all combat units, including the all-male 75th Ranger Regiment, to women who meet military standards.

Asked if Griest and Haver should be allowed to join the elite regiment headquartered at Fort Benning, McChrystal was careful with his words.

“I am not in a position to make that decision, so I can’t speculate,” he said. “But I expect we are going to see them succeed.”

Remaining all-male positions would be opened to women unless Defense Secretary Ash Carter approves exceptions by January. Carter has said he expects to see recommendations from the service branches, including the Army, by October.

McChrystal was one of the pivotal Army leaders after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, especially in the special operations community.

During a news conference on Thursday, Griest said she hoped to join a Special Forces unit. The West Point graduate is currently a military police officer.

“I think there is a place for good people, regardless of their sex, in our special operations,” McChrystal said. “I think doors are going to open that have never been open before and I think it is going to make the force better.”

McChrystal served as commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan until 2010 when he resigned after a Rolling Stone article attributed unflattering remarks about Obama administration officials to the general and his staff. He was also commander of the Joint Special Operations Command in 2008 and 2009.

“Few can speak about leadership, teamwork and international affairs with as much insight as he can,” Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, said in his introduction of McChrystal.

Make no mistake, women are in combat now, McChrystal said.

“I think women have already been in combat,” he said. “I have seen it up close. What we are seeing now, this kind of formal recognition of training and preparation is simply going to open that door wider. Now, there are lots of implications for anybody going into combat — man or woman. The training we do and the preparations we have are going to have to be constantly looked at.”

McChrystal said he was proud of Griest and Haver, but he said the accomplishment of the 108 women who tried to get into the pilot Ranger School class and the 19 who started it in April should also be noted.

“I am really proud of all the females that tried Ranger School because it is a very tough experience,” he said. “All of them put it on the line and went through an awful lot, and I think a number of them will probably come back and get the tab.”

One female soldier remains in the course. It will be known later this week if she gets out of the second phase in the north Georgia mountains.

McChrystal said he is not surprised women have earned the Ranger tab.

“It is recognition that times have changed,” he said. “And times changed long before this. In Iraq and Afghanistan, we had females in different types of combat doing extraordinary work. I think this is actually reflective of something that already happened, and it formally got pinned on the shoulders of two young ladies.”

McChrystal said he has not met Haver or Griest, but would offer them some advice.

“They are in a position that is more difficult than the average Ranger School graduate,” the general said. “A young man who was a student of mine at Yale, and worked for me after that, graduated in the class with them. He is going to go forward in his career as a young lieutenant with the Ranger tab. But the world is not going to be looking at him.”

The world will be looking at the first two women to graduate Ranger School, he said.

“Everything they do and everything they say is going to be scrutinized in ways that are difficult and sometimes not fair,” McChrystal said. “I would tell them they carry an extra responsibility maybe they didn’t seek — but they will have. I am sure they will do very well with it.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Retired Gen. McChrystal says doors opening for female soldiers."