Female soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, train on a firing range while testing new body armor in Fort Campbell, Ky., last year. Women may be able to begin training as Army Rangers by mid-2015, and as Navy SEALs a year later under a new Pentagon plan. (Mark Humphrey/AP/File)
5:10 pm ET -The Pentagon has said women will be able to compete for positions within Special Operations Forces like SEAL Team 6. The transition won't be simple, officials warn.
Top Military (View all)
- US promises military aid to Syrian rebels. Now what?
- US to start arming Syrian rebels, but will it make much difference?
- Presidential cyberwar directive gives Pentagon long-awaited marching orders (+video)
- Military brass, senators united against sexual assault but at odds on remedy (+video)
- American public has few qualms with drone strikes, poll finds
- Nidal Hasan can represent himself at trial, raising specter of jihadist rants (+video)
- Sexual assault: Women lawmakers push for change in US military (+video)
- Afghan massacre: In US soldier plea deal, signs combat stress was considered
- Why Pentagon has doubts about no-fly zone over Syria (+video)
- Chinese cyberattacks hit key US weapons systems. Are they still reliable?
More Military
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Memorial Day warning: Americans too distant from those they send to war (+video)
The number of Americans who serve in the US military – especially those sent to combat – has gone down dramatically in recent years. Critics say civilians need to assume more responsibility for the moral burden of war as well as for the other costs of fighting.
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How can Chuck Hagel fix military sexual assault epidemic? (+video)
President Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have stressed to graduates of the US military academies that rampant rates of sexual assault could corrode the force.
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Obama, Hagel tell young officers: You must lead in ridding US military of sexual assault (+video)
Sexual assault is growing in the US military, addressed by President Obama and Defense Secretary Hagel in speeches to young officers. 'This scourge must be stamped out,' Hagel said.
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Would a US 'drone court' to authorize drone strikes be a good idea? (+video)
President Obama this week tentatively opened the door to the establishment of a drone court, to provide greater accountability for drone strikes on Al Qaeda affiliates abroad. The idea is drawing mixed reviews.
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Obama talks drones: Will it increase transparency for Pentagon to take lead?
In a speech Thursday, President Obama acknowledged some of the complexities involved in the drone war. A new presidential directive released this week says that the Pentagon, rather than the CIA, should ‘have the lead for the use of force.’
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Military sex-abuse crisis hits new low in Fort Hood investigation (+video)
For the second time in two weeks, a military official tasked with combating sex assault has been accused of sexual assault. All military sex assault counselors must now undergo retraining.
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'Sequester' hits home for Pentagon as 800,000 civilian workers furloughed
The sequester budget cuts have led the Pentagon to force the majority of its civilian workers to take unpaid leave – but the blow isn't as bad as it could have been.
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Briefing China's growing military might: top 4 concerns for the Pentagon
The US Department of Defense is carefully monitoring the growth of China’s military. These four items are currently at the top of their list.
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Defense secretary worries sexual assault in military nearing a tipping point (+video)
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says that sexual assault allegations in the military are so alarming that they could hurt the Pentagon's ability to recruit and retain 'the good people we need.' Critics are pushing for reform.
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Sexual assault in military: Pentagon report, scandal deal a double blow (+video)
Even as the Pentagon prepared to report a dramatic increase in sexual assaults in the military, the officer in charge of the Air Force prevention program was alleged to have groped a woman.
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