A lot of people have jumped the gun and criticized the new rules that will expand the role of women in combat. There are no plans to include women in front line infantry units as combat soldiers, nor are there any plans to include them in special operations units, so this might be considered more atmospherics than substantive change The fact is, as this Wall Street Journal article points out, that 152 women have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that women already serve in forward areas, on Navy ships, and as combat pilots. It's not as big a change as some are making it out to be. The change is an acknowledgment that women on modern battlefields already are in the fight-152 women have died in Iraq and Afghanistan-and that military rules need to be updated to reflect realities of the current-day war zones. At the same time, the shift establishes a process that could take years to complete. The new policy should allow women to serve alongside infantry troops as battlefield...(Read Full Post)