The Department of Defense today announced new rules that will allow women in the United States military to serve closer to the front lines of combat. The new Pentagon rules will open an additional 14,325 military positions to female servicemembers.
The Armed Forces Press Service reports the changes announced today in essence strike down a 1994 policy that banned female servicemembers from working in positions near combat units - positions like tank mechanics and field artillery radar operators.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said today:
The Pentagon's new policy doesn't officially allow women in combat, a point many military watchers say is simply semantics. CBS News put together this fantastic report on women who already serve in unofficial combat roles:
