Women, Peace and Security initiative highlights collaboration with allies

Mexican Navy Vice Adm. Jose Hector Orozco Tocaven, director of the Center for Higher Naval Studies, shares insights on gender integration in the Mexican Armed Forces at the 2024 North American Defense Framework for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) at the Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. U.S. ARMY MASTER SGT. WILLIAM REINIER

THE WATCH STAFF

Officials from the Bahamas, Canada, Mexico and the U.S. gathered in Washington, D.C., in February 2024 to collaborate on ways to achieve gender equality in their armed forces. The North American Defense Framework for Women, Peace and Security (WPS) workshop took place February 27-29 at the Inter-American Defense College. Hosted by the college and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the workshop brought together WPS experts from the military and civilian defense sectors in the four North American and Caribbean nations.

“The women, peace and security emphasis enables defense institutions to employ flexible, resilient forces with the ability to anticipate and respond to complex problems. It also enables the design of our military operations and activities investments to be informed by a deep understanding of the security needs of our population,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Constance L. Jenkins, speaking via Zoom to the attendees. “So, when you look at the whole of the problem, we can’t defend what we don’t understand. And we cannot understand the needs of our population without understanding the profound way in which gender impacts immediate and long-term security interests.”

Jenkins is the director of logistics and engineering, J4, Headquarters, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and USNORTHCOM. She has led efforts to implement WPS initiatives into the commands. In 2011, the U.S. adopted the Women, Peace and Security goals of the United Nations and codified the policies into law in 2017. In 2022, DOD spent about $5.5 million to hire personnel, establish policies and integrate relevant training for WPS into professional military education institutions, with an additional $3 million for security cooperation activities, according to the National Defense University.

The U.S. conference hosts said the gathering was meant to further those efforts across the USNORTHCOM Area of Responsibility. “Our objective is ambitious yet achievable: to develop a pioneering framework for the North American collaboration on WPS, thereby redefining international cooperation and gender equality in the defense arena,” a news release from the organizers stated.

The objectives were:

• Define the strategic landscape for WPS collaboration in North America.
• Develop a unified framework for joint efforts.
• Identify common interests and challenges for collaborative resolution.
• Establish a shared mission and vision for collaboration.
• Identify key focus areas and initiatives for advancement.
• Build a committed network of stakeholders dedicated to common objectives.
• Lay the groundwork for future regional WPS events and initiatives.

Organizers said working groups would discuss and collaborate on objectives focusing on three key areas: integration of WPS into professional military education; the prevention of and response to gender-based violence; and the integration of gender perspective into military operations. “The workshop will leverage the extensive WPS expertise from across the North American defense enterprise to design a framework for sustained multilateral collaboration on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). The attending WPS practitioners and experts will work together to identify opportunities to combine our unique strengths, institutional knowledge and resources to create multilateral capacities for advancing WPS,” a welcoming statement from the conference said.

Jenkins said she has seen great advances in gender equity in her 35-year career in the U.S. Air Force. “In my career I’ve witnessed how the integration of a gender perspective has really enhanced operational effectiveness of the Armed Forces of the United States,” Jenkins said, noting that women made up 9% of the Air Force when she joined in 1989 and now comprise 25% of the military branch. “Having all the perspectives at the table really fundamentally changes the conversation to one that feels very collaborative and focused on a team-oriented outcome.”