Women Could Serve On The Front Line After European Union Forces Army Review

Lance Corporal Amy Thomas, is thought to be the first British woman
to fire on the frontline in Afghanistan Photo: MoD

From The Telegraph:

Women could serve in front line units after an European Union directive forced the Ministry of Defence to review their "close-combat" role.

Under the Equal Treatment Directive, the MoD said it had to carry out the study despite a similar review in 2002 concluding that the policy to employ only male personnel in close combat roles should remain.

Servicewomen are currently excluded from roles where they are likely to "deliberately close with and kill the enemy face-to-face".

Read more ....

My Comment: The key quote in the above article is the following:

.... carrying 100lbs of kit in the 122F (50C) heat of Helmand could preclude all but a small number of women on physical grounds ....

That about sums it up.