The U.S. military last week announced it is opening all combat positions to women, a move that allows women to apply to approximately 220,000 jobs previously limited to men.
The roles, which include positions in infantry, armor, reconnaissance and special operations units, will be available to women who qualify and not simply be given to fill quotas, said Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Thursday announcing the new policy.
“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 said. “There will be no exceptions. 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.”
