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Presidential Papers, December 2015
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General SummaryFrom the daily compilation of publically released papers of President Barack H. Obama.
Statement on the Department of Defense Decision To Open All Military Occupational Specialties to Women
December 3, 2015
One of the qualities that makes America's Armed Forces the best in the world is that we draw on the talents and skills of our people. When we desegregated our military, it became stronger. In recent years, we ended "don't ask, don't tell" and allowed gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly, and it's made our military stronger. Over recent decades, we've opened about 90 percent of military positions to women who time and again have proven that they too are qualified, ready, and up to the task. In the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, our courageous women in uniform have served with honor on the front lines, and some have given their very lives.
Today the Defense Department is taking another historic step forward by opening up the remaining 10 percent of military positions, including combat roles, to women. As Commander in Chief, I know that this change, like others before it, will again make our military even stronger. Our Armed Forces will draw on an even wider pool of talent. Women who can meet the high standards required will have new opportunities to serve. I know that, under the leadership of Secretary Carter and Chairman Dunford, our men and women in uniform will implement this transition—as they have others—in a responsible manner that maintains military readiness and the unparalleled professionalism and strength of our Armed Forces. Together, we're going to make sure our military remains the finest fighting force in the history of the world, worthy of all our patriots who serve: men and women.
NOTE: The statement referred to Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter; and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., USMC, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Contents:
Chicago: Barack H. Obama, "Statement on the Department of Defense Decision To Open All Military Occupational Specialties to Women," Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents [Collected for December 2015] in Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents [Collected for December 2015] (Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 31, 2015), Original Sources, accessed October 11, 2024, http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=CREA65KZACCLB2U.
MLA: Obama, Barack H. "Statement on the Department of Defense Decision To Open All Military Occupational Specialties to Women." Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents [Collected for December 2015], in Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents [Collected for December 2015], Washington D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, December 31, 2015, Original Sources. 11 Oct. 2024. http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=CREA65KZACCLB2U.
Harvard: Obama, BH, 'Statement on the Department of Defense Decision To Open All Military Occupational Specialties to Women' in Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents [Collected for December 2015]. cited in December 31, 2015, Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents [Collected for December 2015], U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C.. Original Sources, retrieved 11 October 2024, from http://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=CREA65KZACCLB2U.
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