Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is lifting the military's ban on women in combat which will open up many additional jobs to them. The decision overturns a longstanding military policy that prohibits women from serving in infantry and artillery units, despite the fact that women have found themselves in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.
Much work remains to be done in implementing the policy across the services and applying lessons learned from the women who have already experienced direct ground combat as part of Lioness and Female Engagement Teams.