Secretary Gates predicts more women in special operations Published Sept. 30, 2010 By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Sept. 29 he anticipates that more women will serve in military special operations in the future. "My guess at some point is that there will be a careful step in that direction with the special operations forces," Secretary Gates told about 300 ROTC students at Duke University here. Women already serve in a limited capacity within the special operations community -- primarily in civil affairs, mission information support and aviation capacities, a U.S. Special Operations Command official confirmed. However, most special operations billets, including Navy Sea, Air and Land teams, more commonly known as SEAL teams, and special forces A-teams, are limited to males. The military, Secretary Gates predicted, likely will use lessons learned by the Navy as it introduces women into its submarine force to guide any similar changes within special operations. He noted that only women officers will be assigned to submarines, and that they'll serve only on Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines large enough to provide them separate living facilities. And, he said, females assigned to submarine duty will have a mentor aboard -- a senior woman officer who has served aboard a surface ship at least at department-head level. "And we will learn from that (submarine) experience," Secretary Gates said.