NORFOLK, Virginia (AP) — In an effort to retain talented women, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus unveiled a proposal Wednesday that calls for doubling the amount of paid maternity leave that sailors and Marines can take, from six weeks to 12 weeks.
Mabus detailed the proposal during a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Extending paid parental leave for mothers would require legislative approval, which if Congress agrees to, would ultimately be extended to members of all military branches.
It wasn't immediately clear how much Mabus' proposal would cost, but Navy officials believe it's a wise investment because women in the early part of their careers in that service are retained at half the rate as men.
There were more than 200,000 active-duty women in the military as of January, according to the Defense Department.
#SECNAV - We need more women in @USNavy, @USMC. A more diverse force is a stronger force. #PeopleMatter— SECNAV Ray Mabus (@SECNAV) May 13, 2015
To help keep top performers, the Navy wants to become more family-friendly. As part of Mabus' proposals, child care hours around the world would be extended each day by two hours in the morning and two hours each evening.
In an interview posted to YouTube, Mabus said service members reported that they often had to report to duty at the same time the child care center opened and would be expected to work until after it closed. The expanded hours are designed to accommodate the needs of working families.
"Those are the sorts of things — we’re trying to make it a more family-friendly atmosphere in the service, and allow you to not have to choose between family and service," Mabus said.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is interviewed by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Elliott Fabrizio on new Department of the Navy personnel initiatives.
For those who want to take time off to raise a family or to take a step away to keep from burning out, Mabus wants as many as 400 slots available for people to take up to three years off from service before returning to duty. Those who are part of the program would be expected to provide two years of service for each year they take off.
Mabus also wants more sailors and Marines to go to civilian graduate schools full time and for other higher performing officers to be embedded at top corporations for about two years.
Mabus also voiced his support for opening all jobs — including special forces — to women, as long as standards are the same for each gender.
By January, the military must open all combat jobs to women or explain why any must remain closed. The Pentagon lifted its ban on women in combat jobs in 2012, but gave the military services time to gradually and systematically integrate women into the male-only front-line positions.
Special operations jobs are some of the last to be addressed, as commanders review the qualifications needed and assess the impact of bringing women in.
#SECNAV - we are trending toward uniforms that don't divide us as male and female, but unite us as #Sailors & #Marines— SECNAV Ray Mabus (@SECNAV) May 13, 2015
Other proposals Mabus wants to implement include improving physical fitness by expanding gym hours and providing more nutritional meals on shore and at sea. Mabus also wants the Navy and Marines to adopt the same uniforms for men and women, and that transition is underway.