Defense Secretary Leon Panetta (pictured) has lifted the ban on women in combat saying that women are contributing in unprecedented ways to the military's mission of defending the nation.
The change would open hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs to women. Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey both approved the change Thursday, and the White House separately said it endorsed the decision.
The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule banning women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units.
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