"Women have shown great courage and sacrifice on and off the battlefield, contributed in unprecedented ways to the military's mission and proven their ability to serve in an expanding number of roles," Panetta said. "The Department's goal in rescinding the rule is to ensure that the mission is met with the best-qualified and most capable people, regardless of gender."
While 99 percent of Air Force positions are currently open to women, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III said the service will now pursue opening the final 1 percent.
"2013 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Department of Defense allowing women to serve as combat pilots," Welsh said. "By rescinding the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule, we can pursue integrating women into the seven remaining Air Force career fields still closed, all associated with special operations. We're focused on ensuring America's Air Force remains capable and ready with the best-qualified people serving where we need them."
The Air Force will partner with U.S. Special Operations Command and the other services to review opening these positions in a deliberate, measured, and responsible way, officials said. Those positions are:
Officer / Enlisted Air Force Specialty Codes closed to women:
- 13DXA (Combat Control Officer - special operations forces / direct ground combat)
- 13DXB (Combat Rescue/Special Tactics Officer - special operations forces / direct ground combat)
- 15WXC (Special Operations Weather Officer - special operations forces / direct ground combat)
- 1C2XX (Enlisted Combat Controller - special operations forces /direct ground combat)
- 1C4XX (Enlisted Tactical Air Command and Control - some special operations forces /direct ground combat)
- 1T2XX (Enlisted Pararescue - special operations forces /direct ground combat)
- 1W0X2 (Enlisted Special Operations Weather - special operations forces /direct ground combat)
These career fields comprise approximately 3,235 positions.
Today, women make up approximately 15 percent, or nearly 202,400, of the U.S. military's 1.4 million active personnel. Over the course of the past decade, more than 280,000 women have deployed in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today's announcement follows an extensive review by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who unanimously concluded that now is the time to move forward with the full intent to integrate women into occupational fields to the maximum extent possible.
It builds on a February 2012 decision to open more than 14,000 additional positions to women by rescinding the co-location restriction and allowing women to be assigned to select positions in ground combat units at the battalion level.
"The Joint Chiefs share common cause on the need to start doing this now and to doing this right. We are committed to a purposeful and principled approach," said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey.
The DoD is determined to successfully integrate women into the remaining restricted occupational fields within our military, while adhering to the following guiding principles developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
- Ensuring the success of our nation's warfighting forces by preserving unit readiness, cohesion, and morale.
- Ensuring all service men and women are given the opportunity to succeed and are set up for success with viable career paths.
- Retaining the trust and confidence of the American people to defend this nation by promoting policies that maintain the best quality and most qualified people.
- Validating occupational performance standards, both physical and mental, for all military occupational specialties (MOS), specifically those that remain closed to women. Eligibility for training and development within designated occupational fields should consist of qualitative and quantifiable standards reflecting the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for each occupation. For occupational specialties open to women, the occupational performance standards must be gender-neutral as required by Public Law 103-160, Section 542 (1993).
- Ensuring that a sufficient cadre of midgrade/senior women enlisted and officers are assigned to commands at the point of introduction to ensure success in the long run. This may require an adjustment to recruiting efforts, assignment processes, and personnel policies. Assimilation of women into heretofore "closed units" will be informed by continual in-stride assessments and pilot efforts.
Using these guiding principles, positions will be opened to women following service reviews and the congressional notification procedures established by law. Panetta directed the military departments to submit detailed plans by May 15, 2013, for the implementation of this change, and to move ahead expeditiously to integrate women into previously closed positions. The secretary's direction is for this process to be complete by Jan. 1, 2016.
The Joint Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Women in Service Review Memorandum can be viewed at: http://www.defense.gov/news/WISRJointMemo.pdf
The Chairman's Women in Service Review Memorandum can be viewed at: http://www.defense.gov/news/WISRImplementationPlanMemo.pdf
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