US general fears military will lower standards for women

The US military will inevitably have to lower its physical requirements so more women can fill infantry and commando roles, a top general said Friday. The comments from John Kelly, a four-star Marine general who is retiring from the head of the military's Southern Command, came just over a month after Defence Secretary Ashton Carter ordered all jobs in the military to be opened up to women, with no exceptions.
As he announced the order, Carter stressed that physical standards would not be lowered to ensure females qualified for a particular role. The Marine Corps had spoken out against women serving in some combat roles, saying they were more likely to be injured than their male colleagues and claiming that mixed-gender combat units were not as effective as male groups.