The nature of war is changing.
And U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and several women who have served in the military applauded the Pentagon's decision last week to remove the ban on women serving in combat.
The change opens up hundreds of thousands of jobs in infantry, special forces, field artillery and other frontline units and gives them the chance to earn higher pay and win promotions.
With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the battle lines have grown fuzzy between combat and non-combat situations and it's become increasingly difficult to shield women from combat, said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-RI
.
"The distinction of 50 years ago or 25 years ago is just not there anymore," said Reed, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former Army Ranger. "This decision recognized reality. Women are in combat."
The decision overturns a 1994 law that prohibited women from working in smaller ground combat units.