EL PASO, Texas (AP) - The commander of Fort Bliss in West Texas supports the decision to allow women to serve in combat positions but wants uniform physical training standards for both genders.
Gen. Dana Pittard spoke Thursday at a news conference at the Army post shortly after Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced the ban on women serving in combat had been lifted. Pittard says women have shown interest in joining combat positions and that it should not pose a significant challenge as most of the Army's units already are integrated.
He compared the development to previous steps taken by the Army toward integration, like desegregation in 1948 and allowing openly gay soldiers to serve in 2011.
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