Pentagon opening front-line combat roles to women by 2016

The Pentagon has revealed plans for fully integrating women into front-line and special combat roles by 2016.

The Pentagon also said women will also be included in the elite forces such as Army Rangers and Navy SEALs.

According to CNN, there was concern for how women would handle taxing physical demands of combat across the board, and for how men might view the presence of female troops.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in a May 21 memo to individual service leaders that was released on Tuesday, said the department remained committed to removing all gender barriers wherever possible and meeting their missions with the best qualified and most capable personnel.

Hagel said that he was confident that they will retain the trust and confidence of Americans by opening positions to women, while ensuring that all members entering these newly opened positions can meet the standards required to maintain war fighting capability.

More than 200,000 women are in the active-duty military, representing about 14.5 percent of the overall force, according to Pentagon figures, the report added.