2 female officers sue to end ban on combat roles

Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va.

Two female Army Reserve officers have sued the U.S. Department of Defense and the Army in a bid to reverse military policies banning women from serving in combat roles.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia accuses the government of violating the constitutional rights of servicewomen by excluding them from certain ground combat units and other positions solely on the basis of their gender. It seeks to end such policies by the Defense Department and Army and to require the military to make all assignments and training decisions without regard to a service member’s gender.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, is the first to challenge the combat ban, according to University of Virginia Law School professor Anne Coughlin.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jane Baldwin and Col. Ellen Haring allege the policies have hindered their career advancement and that continued enforcement of the policy unconstitutionally bars women from certain positions available to men, restricts current and future earnings, their opportunities for advancement and their future retirement benefits.