Military roles for women may change
Updated 9h 1m ago
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WASHINGTON (AP) – For the past decade women in the U.S. military have served, fought and died on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan.
By Patrick Baz, AFP/Getty Images
A U.S. female soldier shows the way to an Iraqi woman, as she arrives at an improvised clinic set up by the U.S. military, at a school on the al-Abara neighborhood of Baquba.
By Patrick Baz, AFP/Getty Images
A U.S. female soldier shows the way to an Iraqi woman, as she arrives at an improvised clinic set up by the U.S. military, at a school on the al-Abara neighborhood of Baquba.
On Thursday, Pentagon rules will catch up a bit with reality, recommending to Congress that women be allowed to serve in more jobs closer to the front lines.
According to defense officials, the new rules are expected to continue the long-held prohibition that prevents women from serving as infantry, armor and special operations forces. But they will formally allow women to serve in other jobs at the battalion level, which until now had been considered too close to combat.
In reality, however, the necessity of war has already propelled women to the front lines — often as medics, military police or intelligence officers. So, while they couldn't be assigned as an infantryman in a battalion or company going out on patrol, they could fly the helicopter supporting the unit, or move in to provide medical aid if troops were injured.
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