The U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has announced one of the biggest reforms of the American military in decades. He has lifted the ban on women fighting on the front line in future wars. The new ruling reinforces the fact that women have been putting their lives at risk for many years. Mr Panetta told reporters: "Female service members have faced the reality of combat, proving their willingness to fight and, yes, to die to defend their fellow Americans." Panetta said many very able women soldiers have been prevented from doing a job they love because of their gender. He said: "We owe it to them to allow them to pursue every avenue of military service for which they are fully prepared and qualified."

The Defense Secretary announced there was an important proviso to his new ruling – that women must be able to meet the military's standards, including physical ones. Army Sergeant Jeremy Grayson agreed, saying: "Women would have to be able to do the physical stuff that men do. They have to be able to pull their own weight." Another Army spokesman, Anthony Lemaitre, warned the public to be prepared to handle seeing women troops come home in body bags or with lost limbs. He said: "It's harder to see a mother or a daughter dead." There could now be up to 237,000 positions available for women that are currently off limits to them. The Army says the ruling will benefit the military in many ways.