Female Midshipmen to Wear Trousers, Not Skirts, at Graduation

When female midshipmen in the Naval Academy Class of 2016 stride out onto the field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for commencement in May, they'll be wearing trousers, not skirts, officials said Tuesday. It will be the first time men and women have worn essentially the same uniforms as they mark the end of their training in Annapolis.

Marine Col. Stephen Liszewski, the commandant of midshipmen at the elite training ground for future Navy and Marine Corps officers, announced the change to this year's graduating class Monday night. The 266 female seniors at the academy make up 24 percent of the Class of 2016.

Spokesman Cmdr. John Schofield said the new dress policy will reinforce the idea of "shipmate before self."

"The graduation and commissioning ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy is not about individuals," he said. "It's about the academy writ large. It's about the brigade writ large."

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