Kristen Marie Griest (born October 2, 1989) is one of the two first women, along with Shaye Lynne Haver, to graduate from the United States Army Ranger School, which occurred on 21 August 2015.

[7][6] She served as a Platoon Leader in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, from 2011 to 2014, including a deployment to Afghanistan[6] in 2013.

Griest made a statement agreeing with this sentiment, saying, "My main concern in coming to Ranger School was I might not be able to carry as much weight or not be able to meet up to the same standard," she said.

That policy changed on 3 December 2015 when Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced the United States military would open combat positions to women with no exception.

[10] Upon graduating from the Maneuver Captains Career Course (MCCC), she took command of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment on April 7, 2017.

[11] As of April 2022, Griest was a student at Columbia University, where she was pursuing a master’s degree in Socio-Organizational Psychology, with plans for a follow-on assignment as a West Point Tactical Officer.