WASHINGTON (January 23, 2013)—Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is lifting the military's longstanding ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war, senior defense officials said Wednesday.

The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule that bans women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units.

Panetta's decision gives the military services until January 2016 to seek special exceptions if they believe any positions must remain closed to women.