In a historic ruling by the Defense Secretary, Ashton B. Carter, on December 3rd, women are now going to be integrated into combat jobs within the United States Armed forces. After a three-year trial of allowing a small number of women into some combat rolls which was once historically reserved just for men, the Defense Secretary and his team have decided to lift the ban.
Of course there are still several senior military correspondents that strongly disagree with this ruling. When the three year trial began back in January 2013, the Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, had his reservations about this integration, citing a Marine Corps study that found that the average woman struggled to keep up with men. Despite the disagreements, Carter states that all branches of the armed services included in this ruling, and that there will be “no expectations.”
“It’s about damn time,” Rep. Martha McSally (R.-Ariz.) said in a statement, who happened to be a retired Air Force colonel and A-10 attack jet pilot. “Women have been fighting and dying for our country since its earliest wars…We select the best man for the job, even if it’s a woman.”