Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced today that the Pentagon will be opening all military occupations to women without exceptions.
Carter said that there will be "no exceptions" — all combat roles will be open to women 30 days from now, "as long as they qualify" and meet the same rigorous physical and training standards as men. Military services have until April 1 to accommodate women in all roles…
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta lifted the ban on women in combat on January 24, 2013, but the implementation has been ongoing. Panetta gave all branches of the military three years to study the potential impacts of the change and to request any exceptions from the new rule.
The Marines have been fighting full implementation and asked for a partial exemption. Before today, about 10% of positions in the military were still closed to women.
Here’s video of his announcement: