Pentagon to OK Partial Lift on Women's Combat Ban

The Pentagon is expected to make a recommendation to Congress on Thursday advancing the role of women in combat, according to defense officials.

Current rules bar women from serving in infantry, armor or special operations forces and don't allow women to be officially assigned below the brigade level.

Thursday's announcement is expected to keep those unit bans while calling for women to be officially assigned to jobs at the battalion level, which would doctrinally put them closer to combat areas.

Throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, women have served in support roles while being "attached" at the battalion level, a tactic that allowed them to serve without allowing them to claim combat experience on their records. Serving in combat is widely considered crucial for those seeking promotion, and the change in policy could pave the way for more females in leadership roles across the armed services.

The asymmetric nature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have all but erased the traditional front lines of combat, exposing even those in "safe" areas to suicide bombers, roadside bombs, or insurgent attacks in local markets or shopping areas.

The Pentagon's report follows similar recommendations of an earlier independent study done by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission that advocated opening male-only career fields to women over the coming years.  The Navy's submarine force removed its ban on women in 2010 with an announcement that 24 female officers would be assigned to eight different submarines in groups of three.

While women are still not allowed to join the Navy SEALs or Army Special Operations Forces, they do serve alongside special operations forces in Iraq and Afghanistan as "Cultural Support Teams" and "Female Engagement Teams."

These all-female teams liaison with local women and handle situations that would put male troops in conflict with local cultural norms - such as frisking a woman or speaking with her alone.

To date, thousands of women have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and 158 women have died.