Women Outperform Men on Day One of Ranger School | Charles Clymer

On Monday, 19 women began U.S. Army Ranger School alongside 380 of their brothers-in-arms; it is the first time female soldiers are negotiating the grueling course, which lasts two months in three different simulated combat environments and is notorious for its grueling challenges. Candidates are given little food or sleep and are expected to exceed standards when leading patrols of their peers on combat missions.

The first integrated class of the course comes after decades of debate over the role of women in the military and whether they should be permitted to serve in direct combat roles, something critics say women should not be allowed to do for a variety of reasons, among them the supposed physical fitness disparity between men and women. So far, it would appear that argument falls flat.

Women Outperform Men on Day One of Ranger School | Charles Clymer.