In Afghanistan, female soldiers are the Army’s surest weapon
By INGRID ROJAS
With reporting from SATCHA PRETTO
Channel: International Affairs
In the war for “hearts and minds” in Afghanistan, the Female Engagement Team is the U.S. Army’s surest weapon: a select group of female soldiers tasked with gaining the trust of local women, a population that, for cultural reasons, was previously cut-off from American troops.
And even though women are officially excluded from combat, soldiers of the Female Engagement Teams have increasingly been on the front lines, going out on patrol with infantry battalions.
These soldiers’ new role has prompted the Department of Defense to review its decades-old policy banning women from combat.
Univision’s Satcha Pretto traveled to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, the last stage in training before the Female Engagement Team of the South Carolina Army National Guard deploys to Afghanistan early next year.
