Women soldiers in the Army are moving into new jobs this week in once all-male units, as the Army tears down formal barriers in recognition of what has already happened in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The change in policy, which was announced earlier this year, is getting tested at nine brigades, including one at Fort Campbell, before going Army-wide. The reformed policy opens thousands of jobs to women soldiers by releasing restrictions meant to keep them away from the forefront of the battlefield. In the past decade, experience on the ground illustrated women were fighting and dying alongside male soldiers.
Colonel Val Keaveny Jr., commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team that is among units implementing the new policy, told the Associated Press that for the last decade, it has been common to have women temporarily attached to the combat units and serve alongside them. Keaveny said, “Women have served in our Army since the Revolutionary War and they have done phenomenal work and continue to do so today. There is great talent and now we can have it in the headquarters of infantry, armor and cavalry.” The new policy opens 14,000 new jobs to female officers and non-commissioned officers below the brigade level, however, more than 250,000 jobs remain closed to women.
