Leon Panetta has just lifted the ban against women in combat in the military services.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said Wednesday.
The changes, set to be announced Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, will not happen overnight. The services must now develop plans for allowing women to seek the combat positions, a senior military official said. Some jobs may open as soon as this year, while assessments for others, such as special operations forces, including Navy SEALS and the Army's Delta Force, may take longer. The services also will have until January 2016 to make a case to that some positions should remain closed to women.
The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units.
Officials briefed The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so they could speak ahead of the official announcement.
I think thats the last bar against women in the service. this will change combat for the US military.
as an old infantryman I wonder how its going to be implemented. I guess this means women can be drafted and put in the infantry just like men. Good luck with that.
I see no real objection to this, I think it was inevitable. I think its just clearing out one of the last hurdles in the military.
Good luck to all the women and men that serve.