The unbelievable announcement made by Defense Secretary Ash Carter has shocked the country

There are 'physical differences on average' between men and women but 'thus far, we've only seen small numbers of women qualify to meet our high physical standards' for certain units.

United States Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced all U.S. military combat positions are open to women who can meet the sometimes extreme physical standards.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Carter announced 220,000 jobs that are currently limited to men, such as infantry, armor, reconnaissance and certain special operations units, are in the process of opening up for women.

At a news conference on Thursday, Carter explained: "This means that as long as they qualify and meet the standards, women will now be able to contribute to our mission in ways they could not before. They'll be able to drive tanks, give orders, lead infantry soldiers into combat."

The announcement came as a surprise following objections made by Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dunford actively advocated to keep certain roles limited to men only.

During the news conference, Dunford stood beside Carter, who announced, "There will be no exceptions."

An unnamed senior Obama administration official told CNN Dunford "was not comfortable" expressing his disagreement or appearing as a "'potted plant,' so he opted out -- without Carter's objection ... In the end, the chairman didn't feel comfortable having to say he disagree with his boss."

Rather than clearly stating he agreed or disagreed with Carter, Dunford stated: "In the wake of the secretary's decision, my responsibility is to ensure his decision is properly implemented. Moving forward, my focus is to lead the full integration of women in a manner that maintains our joint warfighting capability, ensures the health and welfare of our people, and optimizes how we leverage talent across the Joint Force."

Carter announced the policy will take effect in thirty days, adding the implementation will not result in an even gender split among combat positions. He explained the "physical differences on average" between the sexes have led to "small numbers of women [who] qualify to meet our high physical standards" for certain units.

"Going forward, we shouldn't be surprised if these small numbers are also reflected in areas like recruitment," Carter said, "voluntary assignment, retention ... [S]ome service members, men and women, have a perception that integration would be pursued at a cost of combat effectiveness. [However, t]he military has long prided itself on being a meritocracy."

Hillary Clinton has fully supported the decision and took time after a New Hampshire event to say, "We've seen women in our armed forces prove their heroism and abilities, now our official policy is catching up and women who are qualified for these positions should be able to compete and win them."

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