[JURIST] Republicans on the US House Armed Services Committee [official website] early Thursday backed off on an amendment to a defense bill that would have further limited women's participation in military operations, instead adopting the language of a Pentagon policy that bans women from direct ground combat roles. The amendment [PDF Washington Post report] would have banned women from support units [AP report] as well. Committee Democrats [PDF letter opposing amendment], as well as the Army, said the original amendment was too broad and would have negative effects. Reuters has more.