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Navy Lt. Cynthia Nestor, left, receives the COVID-19 vaccine from Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jorge Casasola aboard the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Lake Champlain in San Diego, Calif., March 4, 2021. Vaccines were administered to more than 300 Lake Champlain sailors who volunteered to receive the shot. Lake Champlain is currently pier side at its homeport of San Diego.
Army 2nd Lt. Martin Gore, a surgical medical nurse with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., works alongside other Army Medical Command officers and Federal Emergency Management Agency volunteer medical staff to prepare COVID-19 vaccines at the Fair Park COVID-19 Community Vaccination Center in Dallas, March 2, 2021. Army MEDCOM soldiers deployed to Dallas early February 2021 to provide support to FEMA COVID-19 vaccination administration locations. U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing continued, flexible Defense Department support to FEMA as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.
Navy Seaman Gabriel Cabral, assigned to the Naval Medical Center San Diego, administers the first-round of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to sailors and select Defense Department support staff at Naval Air Facility in EL Centro, Calif., March 4, 2021. The mission of NAF El Centro is to support the combat training and readiness of the warfighter.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II gets an aerial refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker, March 5, 2021.
Soldiers conduct digging operations and firebase construction at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Feb. 28, 2021.
March 8, 2021 | BY Jim Garamone , DOD News
No nation can afford to ignore half its population.
That's the premise of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on the Women Peace and Security program. It is good to remember this on International Women's Day.
In 2017, Congress passed the Women Peace and Security Act that called for the United States "to be a global leader in promoting meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention, management and resolution."
This premise is at the heart of the U.S. Strategy on Women Peace and Security. "Governments that fail to treat women equally do not allow their societies to reach their full potential [while] societies that empower women to participate fully in civic and economic life are more prosperous," it says in the strategy.
While Women Peace and Security is a government-wide effort, the DOD has an important role. The DOD has an overarching program for Women Peace and Security, but it is at the combatant commands where the program is crafted to suit the needs of the United States and partner nations.
U.S. Southern Command has been energetic in promoting the program and is already making headway in this relatively new portion of strategy.
Air Force Lt. Col. Duilia Mora Turner is the chief of the Women Peace and Security program at the command, which covers Central America, South America and most of the nations in the Caribbean Sea. Southcom commander Navy Adm. Craig S. Faller was an early proponent of the program and assigned it to his civilian deputy Ambassador Jean E. Manes.
The hemispheric command seems made for the program: Most of the nations are democracies and all have provisions calling for equal rights. Most of the militaries in the region have female service members.
Turner said the command sees the program as a capability. "No commander in the world, and particularly here in the United States, wants to make a decision on only 50% of the information," she said in an interview. "So when we take in consideration that statistically, about 50% of the world population are women, it's paramount that we include that perspective in everything we do."
This perspective must be part of decisions in the countries and in the command. From budgets to resources to exercises to operations to intelligence, commanders should "put on those gender lenses" to ensure that Southcom is not blindsided because it didn't consider gender perspectives, she said.
To an extent, this is a change in military culture. "One of the premises in which we want to expand the program through Southcom is that Women Peace and Security is not something we do, but is the way in which we think," Turner said.
It is not a singular event or activity, but something that "every member of the staff, every component, every security cooperation office, and our partners," must consider as they work together.
How the U.S. military deals with women in the ranks is part of this. "We want to be a role model to our partners, that we are a diverse, inclusive force," the colonel said. "We say proudly when we talk about wanting to secure the United States, (that) no jobs are limited for women."
This is important as there is data that shows when nations have smaller gender gaps, there is less corruption and more trust in government, Turner said.
Turner stresses that the program is not one size fits all partners. Some nations in the Southcom area are farther ahead than others. She mentions that what works in Colombia — a net exporter of security — is different than in Honduras, and that a program crafted for Trinidad and Tobago may not be accepted in Ecuador.
Southcom tailors the program to capitalize on the diverse roles women play in preventing and resolving conflict, countering terrorism and violent extremism as well as building post-conflict peace and stability in the hemisphere.
"I really think Southcom has the ability to be the gold standard when it comes to Women Peace and Security, not as the Southcom enterprise, but because the nations across the region see the benefits," Turner said
Soldiers conduct a surfboard competition at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, March 3, 2021. The competition consisted of 14 rigorous events to test soldier’s physical and mental strength.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Skyler Record greets his family at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., March 7, 2021, after returning from a more than 11-month deployment.
Air Force reservists prepare for a training sortie at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., March 4, 2021.
A Marine fires an M240-B machine gun during night live-fire attack training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 5, 2021. The training focused on increasing proficiencies in dynamic and complex infantry skills.
The USS Mitscher, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Monterey sail in formation while conducting a replenishment with the USNS Arctic in the Atlantic Ocean, March 7, 2021.
March 8, 2021
The Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership will host its fourth virtual hiring fair for military spouses on March 10.
The free MSEP Virtual Hiring Fair – Navigate to Success: Claim Your Space in Today’s Workplace – gives military spouses the opportunity to live chat from anywhere in the world with hiring managers who, as MSEP partner employers, are actively seeking military spouse employees.
More than 100 MSEP companies will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST to speak directly with military spouses interested in their organization or job openings. Spouses may apply for featured CONUS and OCONUS jobs with MSEP partners directly through the event platform.
The department is committed to ensuring military spouses have the access to education and employment resources to help them thrive in their military life. Providing virtual opportunities and empowering military spouses remains a top priority.
“The hiring fair is designed to be flexible for military spouses,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy Patricia “Patty” Montes Barron. “Whether you join for 30 minutes or the full four hours, registrants can log in to the event to make valuable connections and explore in-person and remote career opportunities.”
Through the platform, spouses have exclusive access to connect with Spouse Education and Career Opportunities career coaches, MSEP partner employers and Military OneSource consultants to learn more about resources available to military spouses.
For more information, call 800-342-9647 to speak with a SECO career coach, start a live chat and visit www.msephire.vfairs.com to register for the event.
About Military Community and Family Policy
Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing and overseeing quality-of-life policies and programs that help our guardians of country, their families and survivors be well and mission-ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to programs and services that support the everyday needs of the 5.2 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. These Department of Defense services can be accessed 24/7/365 around the world.
About Spouse Education and Career Opportunities
Spouse Education and Career Opportunities. The DOD established the SECO program to provide education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide, offering free, comprehensive resources and tools related to career exploration, education, training and licensing, employment readiness and career connections. This program also offers free career coaching services six days a week.
About Military Spouse Employment Partnership
Military Spouse Employment Partnership. The MSEP initiative connects military spouses with hundreds of partner employers who commit to recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses. The program helps prepare spouses to be job ready, and connects them with employers worldwide, with 24/7 access to job openings and career connections. The MSEP Job Search allows military spouses to search for career opportunities with MSEP partners.
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