The path to the front combat lines for women in the U.S. military may be long and complicated by demands from Army infantry to the Marines to the Special Operations Forces that killed Osama bin Laden.
Even as the Pentagon announced it was lifting a ban on women serving in ground-combat units, defense officials said yesterday the plan may take as long as three years to complete and will require a methodical review of the physical standards needed for each combat job and whether some should remain closed to women.
