Meet the first woman to compete in Army's annual Best Ranger Competition
First Lt. Gabrielle White, a soldier assigned to the Maneuver Center of Excellence, competes in the 2025 Best Ranger Competition during the Malvesti Obstacle Course, April 11, 2025 at Camp Rogers, on Fort Benning, Georgia. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. S
A West Point graduate became the first woman to compete in the Army’s Best Ranger Competition, which is held annually. Her two-soldier team finished 14th in the rigorous three-day event.
Until 2025, no female soldiers entered the Best Ranger Competition at Fort Benning. According to the Associated Press, soldiers participating must all be Army Rangers, and they compete in more than 30 events that include helicopter missions, physical fitness tests, weapons qualification, and an obstacle course.
Who is Gabrielle White?
The backstory:
First Lt. Gabrielle White is a Black infantry officer assigned to the maneuver captains career course. White, 25, graduated from the Military Academy at West Point in May 2021 and completed the Ranger School in April 2022, Christopher Surridge, an Army spokesperson, told the Associated Press.
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Capt. Seth Deltenre and 1st Lt. Gabrielle White from the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, Ga., compete in the 2025 Best Ranger Competition during the "Run-Swim-Run" event, April 11, 2025 at Victory Pond, on Fort Benning, Georgia. In this
White and her teammate, Capt. Seth Deltenre, were among 16 teams that advanced through the final events, where Ranger teams compete for awards as the best of the elite military force. Fifty-two teams competed and all the others were made up of only male soldiers, the AP noted.
When were female soldiers allowed to become Army Rangers?
Why you should care:
Female soldiers were not permitted to be Army Rangers until 2015, when the Army opened Ranger school to women, the Associated Press reported.
Two female soldiers completed the Ranger course for the first time in August 2015, and during that same year the Defense Department made all combat jobs available to women.
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Capt. Seth Deltenre and 1st Lt. Gabrielle White from the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, Ga., compete in the 2025 Best Ranger Competition during the "Run-Swim-Run" event, April 11, 2025 at Victory Pond, on Fort Benning, Georgia. In this
In previous years, the Army would share the historic first accomplished by First Lt. Gabrielle White and others in a story or press release, however it won’t happen.
The Associated Press reported that under President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the department has banned everything that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Material on the military's websites and social media content that mentions historic firsts by women and minorities was also eliminated.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which received comments from an Army spokesperson about First Lt. Gabrielle White’s background. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.