RIYADH: More than 200 female Saudi cadets graduated on Wednesday from a military training course, the General Directorate of Passports announced.
The 228 soldiers, who have completed their fourth basic individual course, were honored during a ceremony presided over by Lt. Gen. Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Yahya, the directorate’s director general, under the patronage of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, the minister of interior.
In a speech, Al-Yahya passed on to the graduates a message of congratulations from the minister and praised the women for the determination they had shown during training. He also stressed the importance of “responsibility, working seriously, being team-spirited and making every effort to serve the country.”
Saudi Arabia opened up military recruitment to women in February last year as part of the goals of Vision 2030 relating to empowerment and gender equality in all fields. Saudi women now have the opportunity to join the Royal Saudi Air Defense, Royal Saudi Navy, Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force and the Armed Forces Medical Services.
The first group of female recruits graduated from the Armed Forces Women’s Cadre Training Center in September last year after completing 14 weeks of basic training that began on May 30.
