US to allow women in combat

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will lift a ban on women serving in combat, officials said Wednesday -- a ground-breaking move after a decade of war that saw female troops thrust onto the battlefield.
The decision marks yet another sweeping change for the US military under President Barack Obama, who led a drive to end a prohibition on openly gay troops.
Panetta and Dempsey were set to officially announce the move, which would open up hundreds of thousands of combat posts to women, officials said.