Secretary Mabus Open to the Idea of Female Navy SEALs

Move over G.I. Jane, the idea of female SEALs may soon be a work of fiction no longer.

In an interview with the Navy Times, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said he believes all Navy jobs should be open to women –- including submarine attack crews, as well as the elite SEALs -– if they qualify.

But although he’s against any gender ban in the service, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus stopped short of a full-throated endorsement of integrating women into every part of the naval special warfare community.

“It’s my notion that women should have the same opportunities as men in the Navy,” Mabus told Navy Times during a March 31 interview. “They should be able to go as far as their talents take them. They should be able to serve in whatever communities.

“The only reason I’m being a little hesitant for the SEALs is some of the physical things you’ve got to go through to be a SEAL. I think women ought to have whatever opportunities men do,” he said.

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