The U.S. military will let women serve in all combat roles, Defense
Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday in a historic move striking down gender
barriers in the armed forces.
"As long as they qualify and meet the standards,
women will now be able to contribute to our mission in ways they could not
before," Carter told a Pentagon news conference.
"They'll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars, and lead infantry
soldiers into combat. They'll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green
Berets, Navy SEALS, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers and everything
else that was previously open only to men," he said.
President Barack Obama called the move a "historic step
forward," saying it would "make our military even stronger."
"Our armed forces will draw on an even wider pool of talent. Women
who can meet the high standards required will have new opportunities to
serve," Obama said in a statement
Carter said the opening to women would take place following a 30-day
review period, after which they would be integrated into the new roles in a
"deliberate and methodical manner" as positions come open. The
waiting period enables Congress to review the decision and raise any
objections.
He acknowledged the decision could lead to more debate over whether
women would have to register for the draft, an issue he said was already under
litigation. The U.S. military is currently an all-volunteer force, but young
men are still required to register in case the draft is reactivated.
Asked whether the decision opened the door to women being required to
serve in front-line combat positions, Carter said members of the military had
some choices but not "absolute choice."
"People are assigned to missions, tasks and
functions according to need as well as their capabilities," he said.
"And women will be subject to the same standard and rules that men
will."
MARINES
HAD SOUGHT EXCEPTIONS
The decision drew a rebuke from the Republican
chairmen of the armed services committees in the Senate and House of
Representatives. But some other lawmakers welcomed the move.
"Secretary Carter's decision to open
all combat positions to women will have a consequential impact on our service
members and our military's warfighting capabilities," Senator John McCain
and Representative Mac Thornberry said in a statement.
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.
Two Democratic members of the armed
services panels welcomed Carter's decision. 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.
Carter's decision comes nearly three years
after the Pentagon first instructed the military to open all positions to
qualified women, including front-line combat roles. 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.
Women represented about 2 percent of U.S.
casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, with some 300,000 deploying to the conflict
zones.
Since the Pentagon directive in 2013, the
services have been examining whether women should be excluded from any military
positions. Three women recently passed the rigorous Army Ranger course, but
some 220,000 military jobs are still closed to women.
Carter said most of the services favored
opening all jobs to women, but the Marine Corps had sought a partial exception
for roles such as infantry, machine gunner, fire support reconnaissance and
others. He said he considered the Marines' request and believed its concerns
could be addressed.
General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Marine commandant, said he had given Carter
his best advice on the issue and would now fully integrate women "in a
manner that maintains our joint warfighting capability."
Women already serve in combat roles for the
armed forces of a few developed nations, including Canada and Israel, but
officials have said demand from women for such jobs in most NATO countries is
very low.
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