Carter’s directive is based on a memo by former defense chief Leon Panetta, who in 2013 rescinded a regulation that prohibited women from serving in combat roles. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said it would “strengthen our armed forces” and Representative Niki Tsongas called it a “long overdue” move that would eliminate some of the barriers to advancement that women face in the military.
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The military has opened up most jobs to women in recent years, but about 10 percent across the whole force remain closed today, Carter said. Some, including members of Congress, called the Pentagon’s decision politically motivated, and said putting women in combat roles would weaken the military’s capabilities.
The move, announced Thursday by Defense Secretary Ash Carter, means that women are eligible to serve in the most elite combat units, including the Army Rangers, Green Berets and Navy SEALs. “While at the end of the day this will make us a better and stronger force, there still will be problems to fix and challenges to overcome”, he said. But a Marine Corps study also found morale in integrated units was equal to all-male units, and sexual assault levels were no higher than in the Marines as a whole, according to the Times.
He added, “Even more importantly, our military will be better able to harness the skills and perspectives that talented women have to offer”. A restriction on such roles was seen as increasingly out of place during a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan in which women were often in harm’s way.
Carter sought to minimize the disagreement with the nation’s top uniformed officer, saying Dunford would be “by my side” in the implementation of the new rules.
Carter said that top officials of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces recommended no exceptionsin the mandate allowing women to serve in combat roles. “There must be no quotas or perception thereof”. “We are a joint force”, he said.
It is unclear how Carter’s decision will affect selective service, or conscription into the armed forces.
Based on the results of that study, the Marines requested an exception that would prohibit women from serving in certain areas that may be too physically demanding.
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But Dunford “was not comfortable” sharing the stage to explain his disagreement or serve as a “potted plant”, so he opted out – without Carter’s objection, a senior Obama administration official told CNN. Half the American population is female.
