The news about the status of women in military academies is horrendous, but sadly not surprising to anyone familiar with the dominant culture at these institutions.

That culture, a Pentagon task force reported, is one that devalues women and fosters tolerance of rape and sexual harassment at Army and Navy academies.

Congress ordered the task force investigation of West Point and Annapolis after a 2003 probe at the U.S. Air Force Academy found cadets and their superiors turned a blind eye to sexual assaults. Nearly 150 women there reported they had been assaulted by fellow cadets between 1993 and 2003. And Pentagon data revealed that half of the women at all three academies were verbally harassed, with dozens physically abused.

The good news is that the report has resulted in some important recommendations that deserve speedy approval. Among them, harsher consequences for those who harass or tolerate harassment, and creating an environment that encourages others to report abuses. Another step, revising military rape laws to reflect what's available to most civilians, is long overdue.

But the most fundamental change would be to alter the landscape itself.

Roughly 15 percent of the cadets are female; that's far too low. It's also time for more women in academy command positions, not just in the faculty, as the task force recommended. Increasing the number of women among the top brass would clearly help academies mature beyond their current "good old-boy" system of operation.

These changes — the command issue in particular — won't come easily. Women have been traditionally excluded from combat roles that often propel promotions in the military.

Increasing the number of women in the upper ranks should be on policymakers' minds as they give serious thought to granting women access to combat posts, including the infantry. Those who demonstrate the physical ability to perform the job ought to have that option, regardless of gender.

The manner in which war is fought is changing, thanks in part to technology devised to meet new tactical demands. Women ought to be qualified for more combat-level jobs. In the Iraq war, even those with non-combat posts have lost their lives or are in harm's way.

That sacrifice ought to be repaid with full acknowledgment of their service and their importance to our national defense.