Studies look at possibility of female combat troops
Published: January 7, 2011
WASHINGTON – A pair of reports due in coming months will offer a new look at the role of women in combat units and whether female troops could serve in front-line fighting in the near future.
On Thursday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said he expects to see next month the results of a periodic review into the service’s military occupation specialties, which includes discussions about the possibility of opening more jobs to female troops.
Casey, speaking at an Association of the U.S. Army event in Virginia, did not say whether the role of women should be expanded, but that service officials will be examining the study results closely. Currently, female troops are allowed to serve in combat support units, but not combat arms or infantry missions.
The Department of Defense is also due to release a congressionally mandated review into the laws, polices and regulations governing women’s roles by April 15. A change in those rules would not require congressional approval, but lawmakers have raised the issue in military policy debates in recent years.
Since 2001, 114 female U.S. servicemembers have been killed in fighting in Iraq and 23 killed in fighting in Afghanistan.
