“The time has come”: The letter, sent by Gen. Martin E. Dempsey to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, which may be about to pave the way for allowing women in combat zones. (ht @pbump)
Senior defense officials say Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is removing the military’s ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war.
The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units. Panetta’s decision gives the military services until January 2016 to seek special exceptions if they believe any positions must remain closed to women.
A senior military official says the services will develop plans for allowing women to seek the combat positions. Some jobs may open as soon as this year. Assessments for others, such as special operations forces, including Navy SEALS and the Army’s Delta Force, may take longer.
While it’s not an across-the-board authorization that some were undoubtedly hoping for, the changes being authorized by Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta still seem like a step in the right direction. An official announcement about the change is expected on Thursday.
We’re still looking for more info on the story, but this is a pretty big deal guys. The decision reverses a combat exclusion policy passed back in 1994. source
Today in the U.S. losing patience (part two): While Hillary Clinton was toughening up her stance against Bashar al-Assad, Leon Panetta was getting similarly tough on Pakistan, which he claims is ”allowing terrorists to use their country as a safety net in order to conduct their attacks on our forces.” Panetta has been tough on Pakistan in the past, particularly their inaction regarding fighting terrorism, despite the U.S. giving the country billions of dollars in aid. Pakistan’s relationship with the U.S. was recently strained when they jailed a doctor who helped American forces find Osama bin Laden. (Above: Panetta with Afghan Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak, via the Secretary of Defense’s Flickr page)
“These days, it takes only seconds for one picture to suddenly become an international headline.” That’s what our boy Leon Panetta has to say about the recent spate of videos, photos and incidents that have come out of the Afghan War lately. Panetta’s ship certainly isn’t a clean one — between videos showing soldiers urinating on bodies, soldiers inadvertently burning copies of the Koran, and a series of graphic photos the Los Angeles Times got a hold of, the Defense Department is feeling a lot of pressure to prevent more incidents like these — and has issued a crackdown to that effect. “Those headlines can impact the mission we’re engaged in, they can put your fellow service members at risk, they can hurt morale, and they can damage our standing in the world,” Panetta says. (photo by Jim Greenhill) source
US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is safe after a stolen pickup truck exploded near the runway where his plane was scheduled to land during a trip to Afghanistan. Although all of the pieces of the story are still being put together, no evidence of explosive material was found in/near the truck, and the driver may have simply lost control of the vehicle. Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, confirmed that truck’s driver is currently being treated for burn injuries, and that no one else was injured in the incident. (Photo via the Office of the Secretary of Defense) source
This is not the first of those events, and it probably won’t be the last. But we cannot allow these events to undermine our strategy or the mission that we’re involved in.Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta • While discussing the recent shooting of 16 Afghan citizens, by a member of the U.S. military, with reporters on flight to Kyrgyzstan. During his remarks, the Secretary of Defense also mentioned that the government’s goal was to see the suspect tried in the U.S. military justice system. Panetta’s comments come amid increasingly loud calls for the soldier in question to face trial in Afghanistan, and for the United States to re-evaluate its long-term plans for operating inside the country. The calls have grown louder in recent weeks after a series of incidents including Sunday’s shooting, and the mass-burning of Korans at Bagram Air Base last month. source (via • follow)
“I think the pressure of the sanctions, the diplomatic pressures from everywhere, Europe, the United States, elsewhere, it’s working to put pressure on them,” Panetta explained on Sunday. “To make them understand that they cannot continue to do what they’re doing. Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No. But we know that they’re trying to develop a nuclear capability, and that’s what concerns us. And our red line to Iran is, do not develop a nuclear weapon. That’s a red line for us.”
Important part bolded with italics. (thanks nhaler)
No words, no ceremony can provide full tribute for the sacrifices that have brought this day to pass.Defense Secretary Leon Panetta • U.S. Officially Ends Iraq War (via nationaljournal)
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The oldest bottle in his friend’s restaurant? an 1870 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Years ago, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made a bet with a restaurateur around his CIA-led mission to find Osama Bin Laden: If Panetta’s team caught Bin Laden, Ted Balestreri would open up a bottle of wine that predates the first automobile. Now that time’s come. With Bin Laden dead, Balestreri will uncork that 141-year-old bottle around New Year’s Eve. Did we mention the bottle costs between $10,000 and $15,000? Careful to walk a line, though, one of Panetta’s spokespeople notes that this gesture isn’t meant to celebrate Bin Laden’s death. “Secretary Panetta has had New Year’s Eve gatherings with toasts with friends for years and this year there will be a special toast,” noted Douglas Wilson, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs. source
We’re within reach of strategically defeating al Qaeda and I’m hoping to be able to focus on that, working obviously with my prior agency as well.Defense Secretary Leon Panetta • Claiming that we’re close to taking down al-Qaeda for good — which, let’s face it, is a pretty bold thing to say going into a job like Defense Secretary. “Now is the moment following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them,” he continued, “Because I do believe that if we continue this effort that we can really cripple al Qaeda as a threat to (the United States).” Do you think he’s right? Or is it simply a symbolic victory at this point? source (via • follow)
In his first interview since commanding the mission to kill Osama bin Laden, CIA chief Leon Panetta tells TIME that U.S. officials feared that Pakistan could have undermined the operation by leaking word to its targets. Long before Panetta ordered Vice Admiral William McRaven, head of the Joint Special Forces Command, to undertake the mission at 1:22 p.m. on Friday, the CIA had been gaming out how to structure the raid. Months prior, the U.S. had considered expanding the assault to include coordination with other countries, notably Pakistan. But the CIA ruled out participating with its nominal South Asian ally early on because “it was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardize the mission. They might alert the targets,” Panetta says.
Yeah, Leon was probably right considering the uproar in the Middle East about his death. You can only trust certain countries so much. This is why Panetta’s the new Defense Secretary. He earned it with this.
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