Airman 1st Class Natasha Libby examines the barrels of a Gau-2 mini gun mounted on an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter June 20, 2013, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Senior Airman Daniel Hughes/Air Force
Cpl. Kristine Tejeda, Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Task Force Steel Dragon, provides security on Sept. 24, 2011, for a tour of the ancient city of Ur in Dhi Qar province, Afghanistan. Army
Pilot Lt. Ashley Ruic, left, Plane Commander Lt. Cmdr. Tara Refo, and Radar Operator Lt. j.g. Ashley Ellison dress out in the squadron’s ready room on Jan. 25, 2012, before joining two other VAW-125 officers in flying the first all-female-crewed combat mission in an E-2C Hawkeye aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). MC2 James R. Evans/Navy
Marine Sgt. Jeanette Ventura, left, receives instruction from Sgt. Sean Bernstein on handling techniques for the M45 1911 A1 pistol on July 1, 2015, during a female engagement team class aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Cpl. Elize McKelvey/Marine Corps
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Angela Pollard, a medic attached to Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team, secures a bridge on Sept. 7, 2011, in Mehtar Lam, Laghman province. U.S. Department of Defense
Sgt. Julie Nicholson, Female Engagement Team leader, Marine Headquarters Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, shakes hands with an Afghan child during a mission in 2012 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Marine Corps
Explosive Ordnance Disposal 1st Class Karen McMillan participates in small arms weapons training with members of the Australian Northern Territory Tactical Response Group om July 19, 2011, during exercise Talisman Sabre 2011. MC1 Jennifer A. Villalovos/Navy
Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force commander Gen. John R. Allen speaks to Sgt. Maria Rodriguez, left, and Spc. Mellanie Harber, both members of the Female Engagement Team, 172nd Infantry Brigade, on April 23, 2012, during Allens patrol of Zarin Village in Andar district. Master Sgt. Kap Kim/Army
From left to right, Pfc. Ajia Gumabon, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jessie Freeman, Capt. Katherine Wempe and Sgt. Natasha Elusme, all of 2nd GSAB, 1st Avn. Regt., CAB, 1st Inf. Div., pose for a photograph on March 12, 2014, following a mission over Kandahar province, Afghanistan. It was the first all-female crew for the brigade during the deployment. Capt. Andrew Cochran/Army
Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Ashley Botbyl, from Warwick, N.Y., scrubs down an F/A-18C Hornet on July 27, 2011, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). MC3 Shawnte Bryan/Navy
Marine Cpl. Justine Woodend aims at her target on July 8, 2015, during a deck shoot aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Cpl. Anna Albrecht/Marine Corps
From left to right, Pfc. Ajia Gumabon, Chief Warrant Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Ashley Botbyl, Marine Cpl. Justine Woodend aims at her target on July
Female paratroopers from across Fort Bragg participated First Lt. Christina Rath strains to complete a leg Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Katelyn Aguirre performs Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sgt. Shantel D. Limbo,
Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Katelyn Aguirre performs corrosion treatment on a laser-guided bomb on July 16, 2011, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Seaman Nolan Kahn/Navy
Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sgt. Shantel D. Limbo, Platoon 4040, November Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, marches her platoon during close-order drill practice Nov. 17, 2015, on Parris Island, S.C. Lance Cpl. Aaron Bolser/Marine Corps