March is Women’s History Month. The Department of Defense theme for the observance is, “Women Who Have Made Great Achievements,” in recognition of the countless contributions women have made towards creating a positive opportunity for a brighter future.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies is launching its Women, Peace, and Security program. The TSC WPS program recognizes the diverse roles women play as agents of change in preventing and resolving conflict in the Arctic region.
“We celebrate the tremendous contributions of women across the Arctic, making it a more secure, peaceful, and prosperous region,” said Randy “Church” Kee, director of the Ted Stevens Center. “The Women, Peace, and Security program will highlight these stories in order to advance women’s and girls’ civic and political leadership across the Arctic region.”
The 2023 U.S. National Strategy on WPS includes five lines of effort: Participation; Protection; Relief, Response, and Recovery; Integration and Institutionalization; and Partnerships.
The TSC mission provides unique engagement opportunities to operationalize the National Strategy by strengthening institutional relationships with our allies and partners through collective efforts that reinforce women’s empowerment across each of these LOEs.
“We have important work to do throughout the Department of Defense and within our center to ensure that we exemplify a diverse organization that invests in our people and promotes the meaningful participation of women across the development, management and employment of the organization,” said Kee.
By institutionalizing WPS across the defense and security sectors, we reinforce the rules-based international order by committing to an internationally recognized resolution alongside our allies and partners. Advancing WPS objectives strengthens institutional resilience, comprehensive campaigning, and operational success.
While March marks the official launch of the WPS program, the center has already made significant progress towards promoting partnerships to build capacity and elevate the WPS agenda throughout our foreign policy and security cooperation efforts.
All TSC courses and workshops strive for a minimum of 33% or one third female participation to create critical mass for more inclusive dialogue on broader security concerns. The School of Arctic and Climate Security Studies was proud to progress towards an average of 25% female participation in courses, closing in on 83% execution of that goal.
“An important component of the TSC Women, Peace, and Security program is intersectionality. We must be inclusive of Arctic Indigenous perspectives to enable a more comprehensive, equitable, and context-driven understanding of security in the Arctic,” explained Kee. “The TSC is well position to seamlessly link climate security, Indigenous perspectives, and Women, Peace, and Security.”
The TSC Women, Peace, and Security program will be a center-wide effort with contributions from each of the four divisions. In the coming year, interested participants can expect webinars, research, and articles dedicated to Women, Peace, and Security in the Arctic region.
Observances like Women’s History Month provide an important platform to amplify the stories of women across the Arctic. The TSC WPS program will make this a permanent and ongoing effort: to recognize, promote, and facilitate the contributions of women to the enduring peace and security of the Arctic region.
Graphic by Amber Kurka | March is Women’s History Month. The Department of Defense theme for the observance is, “Women Who Have Made Great Achievements,” in recognition of the countless contributions women have made towards creating a positive opportunity for a brighter future. In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies is launching its Women, Peace, and Security program. The TSC WPS program recognizes the diverse roles women play as agents of change in preventing and resolving conflict in the Arctic region. View Image Page