American Military News by Ryan Morgan September 28, 2020
The U.S. Marine Corps is considering closing down its boot camps in Parris Island, S.C. and Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif., and opening a new boot camp location with gender-integrated training.
The Marines are reportedly considering the closures to comply with a 2020 National Defense Authorization Act requirement for gender-integrated training at the platoon level. In an interview with Defense One, Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger said neither boot camp location is capable of hosting gender-integrated training at the platoon level and alluded to the possibility that a new location may be an option to gender-integrate the force going forward.
“Nothing the way we’re organized right now lends itself to integrated recruit training,†Berger said. “If that’s our start point, and it is, we have to get to a place where on both coasts or at a third location or whatever we end up with, that every recruit, male, female, there’s male and female around.â€
Berger said the Marines will have to make some changes to its training facilities to accommodate the gender-integration requirements. Historically, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego has trained only male recruits west of the Mississippi River, while Parris Island has trained male recruits east of the Mississippi and all female recruits nationwide.
Berger said even at Parris Island, where both male and female recruits are trained, their facilities are separate. “It’s definitely not as simple as you build a couple and we’ll be there,†he said in terms of integration.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/09/marines-may-close-famed-parris-island-camp-pendleton-boot-camps-heres-why/
