It’s one of the most physically and mentally demanding jobs on the planet — and until now, has been exclusively reserved for men.

But two women are applying to become members of the ultra-elite United States Navy SEALS, the special warfare operations unit, according to NPR.

The applications come nearly two years after the US Department of Defense officially opened all military combat roles to women, allowing them to fight on the frontlines alongside their male peers.

"This means that as long as they qualify and meet the standards, women will now be able to contribute to our mission in ways they could not before. They'll be able to drive tanks, give orders, lead infantry soldiers into combat," then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said at the time.  

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The website MIlitary.com reported that the two women attended boot camp in applying for the position, while a third woman is in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at a college and will apply to become a SEAL officer. The women’s identities are not being made public.

Selection for SEAL officers begins Oct. 1, and the women will undergo the same training as the men, according to NPR.

That training includes underwater demolition training, designed to be “extremely physically and mentally demanding,” according to the report.

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"They are the first candidates that have made it this far in the process," Lt. Cmdr. Mark Walton, spokesman for the Naval Special Warfare Command, told NPR.

Walton said it could still take months or years to see the first female SEAL, given the challenges of training and selection.

Even if the two women do make it through this round and break that particular glass ceiling, we may not know about. Walter said that special operations members are usually kept secret, regardless of gender.

Last year, Capt. Kristen Griest became the Army's first female infantry officer in a combat role. She graduated West Point, the elite Army college, and completed the rigorous Ranger training program, according to news reports.

"I was thinking of future generations of women – that I would like them to have that opportunity, so I had that pressure on myself," Griest said.