Women in combat?

Fox News:

Women in all branches of the military soon will have unprecedented opportunities to serve on the front lines of the nation's wars.

Leon Panetta, in one of his last acts as President Obama's defense secretary, is preparing to announce the policy change, which would open hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.

The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule banning 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.

"This policy change will initiate a process whereby the services will develop plans to implement this decision, which was made by the secretary of defense upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," a senior defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Some front-line military roles may open to women as soon as this year. Assessments for others, such as special operations forces, including Navy SEALS and the Army's Delta Force, may take longer.

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Women have served in combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but mostly as medics or motor transport functions.  Assume the physical requirements are not changed it will be very hard for women to qualify as Marine combat officers, Navy SEALs, or members of Delta Force.  All of these units have a high rate of attrition already for men candidates.  In the case of the Marine Corps two women were given the opportunity to go through  the combat officer training course and both failed.  I saw an interview with one woman who explained how here joints could not hold up to the load they were expected to carry.

Some of the women in motor transport have won awards for bravery in going after people who attempted to ambush their convoys.  And women giving medical care have shown great courage under fire in treating the wounded warriors.  I suspect those roles are ones where you are most likely to see women in front line units.