Naval Academy head says school could produce female SEALs

WASHINGTON (AP) – The superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy is confident the school could produce female Navy SEALs, if the military changes its policy to allow them to serve in that special operations role.

Male graduates who go into that service assignment are the most successful of any group of men that go into special operations across the country and that shows the academy has a formula that works, Vice Adm. Walter “Ted” Carter said Monday.

If the military opens up special operations to women, Carter said he has “no doubt that our women will do very well in that program, just as they have in all other communities.”

Last week, the commander of the Navy’s special warfare units recommended that the SEALs and combat crew jobs be open to women. Rear Adm. Brian Losey noted there are “no insurmountable obstacles” to opening the jobs to women, but he warned there are “foreseeable impacts” to integrating them into ground combat units.

The U.S. military services are expected to send their final recommendations on opening more positions to women to Defense Secretary Ash Carter soon.