In Israel, female troops are deployed in combat situations.

The latest controversy out of Washington is the announcement that women will be allowed to serve closer to the front lines.

Though the Pentagon's new rules maintain the prohibition on women in direct combat roles, over 14,000 new assignments will open up to women, and that's just the beginning.

Placing women into combat roles has long been a controversial issue, but the top military brass are taking steps to place women closer to the action. This is important for female troops who have far fewer opportunities to advance than their male counterparts.

Since it's an election year, we've seen all the old arguments against women in combat advanced: women would distract men; increased participation in combat could lead to more sexual assault; women are not as fit for combat as men; the list goes on.

Many of the same arguments used against integrating women into higher education are being used now for the military. Of course, now women outnumber men in college (though its less likely that women will ever outnumber men in the military.)

It's also crucial to remember that the US military is one of the most high-tech fighting forces that the world has ever seen. The tools and weapons that men use in combat can be used just as easily by women.

The reason American soldiers are so effective, outside of their training, is the high-tech arsenal at their fingertips - an arsenal that would be just as effective in the hands of female troops.

With billions in R&D spending each year, and a host of contractors developing new weapons systems and other high-tech advances, the US Military is evolving rapidly. Alongside drones, land-based robots are being deployed for all sorts of tasks.

The battlefield itself is morphing into something very different from what it once was. We're no longer fighting trench warfare. Modern wars are often fought in urban settings, and modern troops deploy all sorts of high-tech weaponry.

High-tech weapons like the Corner Shot (Israel), made by Dynamit Nobel Defence (Germany)make gender less important in modern warfare. (Image via Popular Mechanics)