WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to announce today that women will now be allowed to serve in combat roles.

That presents a challenge for the Pentagon as military leaders will have to decide which, if any, jobs they believe should be open only to men.

Military chiefs must decide whether women should be excluded from any of the more demanding and deadly positions, such as Navy SEALs or the Army's Delta Force.

Copyright © 2013 Associated Press

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By LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) - 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.

Related Story: Pentagon to Allow Women in Combat

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.
Copyright © 2013 Associated Press