Pentagon Lifts Ban on Women in Combat

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta officially lifted the ban on women in combat Thursday, a move which opens up roughly 230,000 battlefront posts. At a Pentagon press briefing, Panetta elaborated on the landmark decision. “They serve, they’re wounded, and they die right next to each other,” he said. “The time has come to recognize that reality.” General Martin Dempsey confirmed the military's readiness to make the change, saying it received "unanimous" support from military leadership. "We all wear the same uniform. We all take the same oath," he said. The decision is likely to present a challenge to top military authority, who have until 2016 to deem some specific jobs still unfit for women.