Integrating women into military combat positions has been a slow process, and as the Jan. 1 deadline looms military branches are scrambling to collect data and make their final decisions. According to a report obtained by the Associated Press, the Navy SEALs are on track to accept female recruits into their ranks.

Rear Adm. Brian Losey explained in a five-page memo that women should be allowed to “test themselves” and attempt BUD/S because it is “consistent with the struggle over centuries to fully represent our nation’s values of fairness and equal opportunity.”

“With the recent female graduates from the Ranger course, there may be an expectation that there will soon be female graduates from BUD/S,” Losey. “We will welcome any candidate who meets standards.”

About 70 percent of BUD/S students fail the course because of its rigorous physical training. To make sure the SEALs only accept the best candidates, Losey recommended that the Navy remove gender from SEALs applications and maintain the same standards the SEALs have used for 50 years.

Losey’s main caveat was that women in combat roles were more prone to physical injury during training, and he requested more scientific information on the matter. This worry was echoed by the Marine Corps after conducting a nine-month long study on a co-ed infantry training course.