Inhofe suggests he’ll try to block women from some combat positions

Inhofe’s statement is a stark contrast to most Republicans
who have weighed in on the ban, including his predecessor on the Armed Services
Committee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

{mosads}McCain said Wednesday that he respected and supported
Panetta’s decision to lift the ban, although he added that it was critical to
maintain the same rigorous high standards for special operations units —
something Pentagon officials said Thursday was not changing.

House Armed Services Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) also said that
he “welcomed the review” by the services, as women have “demonstrated a wide
range of capabilities in combat operations” in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After news broke Wednesday that the ban was ending, Inhofe
blasted the Pentagon, saying it was “unacceptable” the information was leaked
before Congress was briefed.

In that statement, he said that he did not believe the end
of the ban would lead to a broad opening of combat roles for women.

The military service chiefs have been instructed to develop
plans for implementing the end of the ban by May, and the services have until
2016 to request exemptions to keep women out of specific combat units or
operations.

Inhofe emphasized that the Senate Armed Services Committee
will have a period “to provide oversight and review,” and he was the first to
suggest that Congress might introduce legislation to block changes the military
wants to make.

Any changes the military makes to open new positions to
women requires 30-day notice to Congress before they are implemented, although
Congress would have to pass new laws to stop the moves.