The Columbus Ledger-Inquirer looks at how the Army is “creating a physical demands study for all Army combat positions” as it prepares a report on which positions will be opened to women.  

“The decision to open combat positions was made in January 2013 by then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. After more than a year of study, Panetta ordered each of the military services to expand all of its positions to women — or provide reasons why certain jobs should remain exclusively male. The Army has been deliberate in its approach to Panetta’s order. Secretary of the Army John McHugh is likely to have his recommendations to Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter next week.”  

“Gen. David Perkins, in charge of the Training and Doctrine Command, has been heavily involved in the Army’s gender integration study that was completed in advance of any recommendation… ‘What we did for two years is we exhaustively went out to every MOS (military occupational specialty) closed to women and came up with all the operational tasks you have to do in combat. Put on ruck sack, 110 pounds, 12 miles. Went to folks in Afghanistan we had to relate it to a combat standard and said, “What is your average load?” For artillery units, we tried to find the most demanding physical thing … rate of loading of a machine gun, extracting a wounded soldier out of a combat vehicle.'”