America to Allow Women to Serve in All Military Roles

THE TELEGRAPH: Ash Carter, the defence secretary, announces that woman will be able to apply for any job in the military

America is to allow women to serve in all roles in the military – including in front line combat roles – in a sweeping decision announced on Thursday by the defence secretary in a historic move to strike down gender barriers.

Ash Carter, speaking at the Pentagon, said he had decided to overrule objections raised by the Marine Corps that mixed-gender units were, in some cases, less efficient.

"I am announcing my decision to proceed with opening of all these remaining occupations and positions to women," said Mr Carter. "There will be no exceptions." » | Harriet Alexander, New York | Thursday, December 3, 2015

Pentagon Lifts Ban on Women in Combat
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is lifting the military’s ban on women in combat, which will open up hundreds of thousands of additional front-line jobs to them, senior defense officials said on Wednesday.

The groundbreaking decision overturns a 1994 Pentagon rule that restricts women from artillery, armor, infantry and other such combat roles, even though in reality women have found themselves in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, where more than 20,000 have served. As of last year, more than 800 women had been wounded in the two wars and more than 130 had died.

Defense officials offered few details about Mr. Panetta’s decision but described it as the beginning of a process to allow the branches of the military to put it into effect. Defense officials said Mr. Panetta had made the decision on the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. » | Elisabeth Bumiller | Wednesday, January 23, 2013

This is the West’s unrelenting quest to turn men into women, and women into men. Soon, there will be no masculine men or feminine women left. – © Mark