The woman, an enlisted soldier, is in the final stage of training before graduating from the roughly yearlong qualification course, or Q Course, as a Special Forces engineer sergeant. Her graduation is almost guaranteed, officials said, although occasionally soldiers have failed the course this late in the training or withdrawn because of injuries.

A spokesman for Army Special Operations Command would not release any information on the soldier, citing security concerns.

The soldier is one of only a handful of women who have passed the initial 24-day assessment program that acts as a screening process before the qualification course. The weekslong screening regimen tests candidates on fundamental military skills, including land navigation and marching with heavy combat gear before they are evaluated by Special Forces supervisors — and either denied entry or accepted into the qualification course.