Women at War

WASHINGTON — Senior defense officials say Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is removing the military’s ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war. The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units. Panetta’s decision gives the military services until January 2016 to seek special exceptions if they believe any positions must remain closed to women.

Troops at Britain's main Afghan base, where Prince Harry was based, lowered their guard and left watchtowers empty before a spectacular Taliban assault that destroyed hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of American aircraft and equipment, a review has found.

The Pentagon's decision to give women the chance to serve in front-line combat drew mixed reactions Wednesday from female veterans.

Greg Jaffe, speaking to Andrew Exum, says “This whole conventional vs. irregular debate is stupid.” War is war. And we waste far too much energy trying to categorize it. I think most lieutenants, captains and majors are beyond this false conventional vs. irregular frame that we try to impose on war. I wish I could say the same for the more senior people in the Pentagon.

The United States is sending an additional 1,400 Marines to southern Afghanistan to help counter a Taliban offensive ahead of mandated US troop reductions, a Pentagon official said on Thursday.Defense Secretary Robert Gates had "approved additional Marine forces to southern Afghanistan to exploit and consolidate gains already achieved and apply pressure on the enemy during the winter campaign," Pentagon spokesman Colonel David Lapan said.