Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter on December 3 ordered the military to open all direct combat positions to women, giving the services 30 days to submit their plans for the historic change.
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Carter said he came to a different conclusion, but he said the integration of women into the combat jobs will be deliberate and methodical and will address the Marine Corps concerns. “They’ll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALS and Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers and everything else…”
Carter said, “As long as they are qualified and meet the standards, Women now will be able to contribute to our nation”.
Carter said that the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force all recommended that all jobs be opened to women. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted the differing physical abilities, on average, between men and women, and alluded to performance report disparities between all-male and mixed-gender units.
Women will be fully integrated into combat roles deliberately and methodically, the secretary said, using seven guidelines.
They asked the Pentagon for details on a Marine Corps request for exceptions, which was overridden by Carter, and information on how draft registration might be affected.
“We’re going to work with Congress to look at that analysis, to review it, to get others’ opinions and determine if additional reforms or changes are necessary in light of this decision”, Earnest said.
It’s a decision that will lift the barriers that prevent women taking on certain front-line combat jobs. They include some of the most demanding roles, including special operations forces.
“When I became secretary of defense, I made a commitment to building America’s force of the future”, Carter said.
Some of the most high-profile evaluations were carried out by the Army that, for the first time, allowed women to try out for the elite Ranger School.
“I didn’t lose my legs in a bar fight – of course women can serve in combat”, said Duckworth, whose helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
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About 10% of military roles – some 220,000 positions, including those in special operations units and infantry – have only been open to men until now. But Carter said he overruled the Marines because the military should operate under a common set of standards. “The Senate and House Armed Services Committees intend to carefully and thoroughly review all relevant documentation related to today’s decision”.
