CNN is reporting that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will announce tomorrow that the U.S. military will allow women to engage in combat. From the report:
But the officials caution that “not every position will open all at once on Thursday.” Once the policy is changed, the Department of Defense will enter what is being called an “assessment phase,” in which each branch of service will examine all of its jobs and units not currently integrated and then produce a timetable in which it can integrate them.
The Army and Marine Corps, especially, will be examining physical standards and gender-neutral accommodations within combat units. Every 90 days, the service chiefs will have to report back on their progress.
Wonder if Arkansas Congressman Tom Cotton, who says it’s not in women’s nature to fight, will respond in a press release? Will keep you posted.
And for a rich example of how the media portray women in the military in photographs, go here.