A sailor has become the first female operator to pass a 37-week training course to become a Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman (SWCC), U.S. Navy officials announced. “Becoming the first woman to graduate from a Naval Special Warfare training pipeline is an extraordinary accomplishment, and we are incredibly proud of our teammate,” said Rear Adm. H.W. Howard III, the SWCC commander. Members of the SWCC are experts in utilizing a unique combination of capabilities that range from weaponry, communication, first aid, parachuting, and other special operation tactics. They use this large inventory of skills to conduct special operation missions—particularly in support of the Navy SEALs. The female sailor was among 17 troopers who earned their pins and graduated in the “assessment and selection” process, military officials said in a press release on Thursday. “Like her fellow operators, she demonstrated the character, cognitive and leadership attributes required to join our force,” Howard said. …