Women in combat

The (Middletown, N.Y.) Times Herald-Record

For whatever reason, Republicans in the House of Representatives felt moved recently to sharply cut back on the ways in which female soldiers could provide support for combat units. ...

The misguided effort lasted barely a week, its sponsors retreating under a barrage of complaints from the Pentagon, which pointed out the proposed restrictions could seriously impede women's military careers by locking them out of nearly 22,000 positions. ...

The reality of Iraq got through to the bill's sponsors, including Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Watertown. He amended his original measure so that it now spells out the Defense Department's current policy banning women from combat units and requires a vote from Congress to permit women to serve in direct combat units. ...

Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee wanted to ask for a new study of women's role in the military, which makes more sense than the amended bill. Given the drastically changed face of war, the dramatic contributions being made to the effort by women and Defense Department plans for a smaller, more mobile military units, Congress would perform a valuable public service by revisiting the subject of women in combat.