| Women Headed To Front Lines |
| Jan-25-2013 |
| Keywords: women, front line, panetta, war |
In perhaps his last act as Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta lifted the military's ban on women serving on the front lines in battle.
Panetta came to the decision at the advisement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"This policy change will initiate a process whereby the services will develop plans to implement this decision, which was made by the secretary of defense upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," a senior defense official told reporters.
The move would open hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and possible slots in the nation's elite military units.
Panetta's decision gives the military services until January 2016 to determine if there are roles/positions within the services that must be closed to female soldiers. Some less sensitive positions are expected to open to women as early as this year.
A defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press that the military chiefs must report back to Panetta with their initial implementation plans by May 15.
Women comprise 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel.
Panetta's move expands the Pentagon's action from a year ago to open about 14,500 combat positions to women; most of those positions are in the Army. |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 10:00 AM Email to a friend |
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