Latest news with #DeptofDefense
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A Commander's Case for Women, Peace, and Security
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PETE HEGSETH claims to be focused on 'lethality' and 'the warfighter,' yet he just proudly announced the end of a program that saves American lives and helps us win fights. 'This morning,' he said on April 29, 'I proudly ENDED the 'Women, Peace & Security' (WPS) program inside the @DeptofDefense,' calling it 'yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops—distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING. WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it.' First, the secretary seems to have overpromised. He's not ending the program, which is required by law, but, he explained, merely 'executive [sic] the minimum of WPS required by statute.' An anonymous administration official further walked back Hegseth's announcement in a statement to the Washington Post: ''Ending' refers to ending the Biden administration's woke WPS initiatives and returning the program to its original intent.' This shouldn't be surprising, considering the secretary of state, the secretary of homeland security, the national security advisor, and the president are all proud supporters of WPS. Second, I commanded one of the key initiatives that informed the WPS strategy and later the WPS Act, which codified in law the government's commitment to involving women in matters of war, peace, and security, and I have serious doubts about whether the program overburdened the force, distracted from 'war-fighting,' and irritated the troops. To support The Bulwark's mission, join our community, and get the best coverage of Trump 2.0 available anywhere, become a Bulwark+ member. IN 2008, I WAS COMMANDING THE 1ST Armored Division in northern Iraq when we began seeing a disturbing and confounding trend: an uptick in suicide bombings carried out by Iraqi women. A series of these attacks were executed in crowded markets, polling stations, and police checkpoints—places where the U.S.-Iraqi security posture was already strained. What made this tactic so effective, and so deadly, was that in traditional Iraqi society, male soldiers and police were prohibited from touching or searching women. And there weren't any female Iraqi police officers to close that gap. Al Qaeda in Iraq knew that our lack of women was a weakness. And they exploited it. At first, our intelligence analysts didn't fully understand the dynamics. We couldn't figure out why women were now involved in this al Qaeda network of death. It wasn't just tactical adaptation—it was social manipulation. Throughout our fifteen-month tour, fighting the insurgency didn't just mean lobbing ordnance at bad guys. We were also engaged in a broad campaign to improve governance in northern Iraq by helping local officials develop capacity in law, health, education, and justice. To defeat an insurgency, it's not enough just to destroy the enemy; a successful counterinsurgency force must also contribute to the advancement of the society. Our efforts were seeing progress, as rule of law, education, healthcare, and even business initiatives were countering the terrorist message. But I had neglected a key part of the Iraqi society: the women. The idea that eventually broke the problem came from a junior female soldier, who suggested something unusual: 'Sir, we should also hold a women's conference; they have a say in their future society, too.' It was, admittedly, an unconventional idea in a male-centric society. But I gave the task to all the female soldiers in our division to pull it off, and a few weeks later, we held that conference in Erbil with more than four hundred women from all of the provinces in northern Iraq—Arab and Kurdish. Get 30 day free trial Iraqi women—political leaders, educators, clerics, and civil society figures—gathered to talk about their role in securing their communities. My wife, Sue, opened the conference by addressing the group (through an interpreter) via a satellite video link from Germany. I was one of only two men in attendance, and it sent a clear message that my wife, not I or any other man, was opening the meeting. I was extremely proud when she said, 'We women must do more to stop the violence,' and the Iraqi women cheered. The spark came during the lunch break. One of the women approached me quietly and said, 'We can help stop the bombings. But we need you to help get Iraqi women recruits into our police academies.' We had built and were operating multiple police academies to train Iraq's next generation of male security forces. But the idea of allowing women to enroll—especially to take on active policing roles—met deep resistance from the Iraqi chief of police and the minister of the interior in Baghdad. Eventually, both relented. We started small: 27 women were enrolled. They graduated weeks later. Within months, more than 60 female officers were operating in public spaces across Diyala, Kirkuk, and Salah ad-Din provinces. They became the key to breaking the suicide-vest network. The breakthrough came when one of the rookie policewomen stopped a 15-year-old girl named Rania from entering a crowded market. Prevented from detonating her vest, she told interrogators she had been drugged and pushed toward a checkpoint by her own mother—a widow of a slain al Qaeda fighter. It turned out that many of the women wearing these vests were widows of slain al Qaeda fighters who had been told, after their husbands' deaths, there was nothing left for them. No future. No food. No marriage. No status. Many had been forced as teenagers into marrying Iraqi or foreign fighters in the first place and so faced a double social sanction: One for having been married to a terrorist, and another for being a young widow. 'Join your husband in the afterlife,' they were told, 'and in the process you can take as many infidels with you as you can.' We briefed Iraqi officials about Rania's testimony, emphasizing that many of these suicide bombers weren't valiant martyrs but abused and coerced victims of terrorism. Their story eventually became a major topic of discussion in Iraqi society, especially after a female radio host dubbed the policewomen 'Doves of Peace.' This wasn't just good counterterrorism—it was community transformation. By the time 1st Armored rotated home, not only was the female suicide-vest cell almost completely destroyed, but the overall level of violence in northern Iraq was down significantly and the Iraqi security forces were able to take the lead. Get 30 day free trial WHILE OUR EXPERIENCE in northern Iraq antedated the WPS strategy and the later WPS Act, it is precisely the kind of success story envisioned by the bipartisan champions of the program. Across many departments and agencies of the federal government, the program has four pillars: Participation: Ensuring women's meaningful involvement in decision-making about peace and security. Protection: Safeguarding women and girls from violence, coercion, and exploitation. Prevention: Addressing the root causes of conflict through inclusive and equitable approaches. Relief and Recovery: Promoting the roles of women in stabilizing communities and rebuilding post-conflict societies. Each of these principles was present in what we did in northern Iraq in 2008. And the result was not a 'woke distraction'—it was lives saved, violence deterred, and long-term security effectuated. Share With due respect to Secretary Hegseth, his definition of lethality is troublingly narrow. Yes, lethality can be found in a rifle shot or a perfectly executed combined-arms maneuver. But at the strategic level—where battles are shaped, alliances are built, and where 'warfighting' serves aims that promote American interests—lethality also depends on the ability to secure populations, disrupt enemy networks, and build coalitions of trust. Empowering women in conflict zones is not a 'soft' strategy—it's a force multiplier. It produces better intelligence, enhances legitimacy, and reduces the grievances that feed insurgency. We did not set out to create a women's rights movement in Iraq. We were trying to stop the killing. And we succeeded, because we recognized that the path to security runs through society, not just the battlefield. Our female soldiers weren't intent on empowering women for ideological reasons, but because they knew they might be uniquely positioned to solve a problem that men could not. That insight wasn't unique to our war. As Kathleen McInnes of the Center for Strategic and International Studies has pointed out, In Afghanistan, for example, U.S. Female Engagement Teams helped tactical and operational level commanders better understand the human terrain of battle spaces, therefore improving kinetic and non-kinetic targeting. Simultaneously, partner forces also became aware that the intentional presence of women in kinetic fights could have a strategic impact. Kurdish women's units were fierce fighters against the Islamic State in part due to their combat effectiveness but also because of the reputational damage to Islamic State fighters being forced to fight—and lose—to women. In Ukraine, upwards of 60,000 women are serving in the military, including on the front lines, and women's networks are critical components of anti-Russian resistance networks. That is what WPS stands for: the strategic inclusion of half the population in the fight against instability, terror, conflict and chaos. The WPS program reflects the reality that modern combat is not simply about force and lethality—it is about legitimacy, alliances, information, and the ability to create peaceful solutions that endure. Killing this program won't make the U.S. military more lethal. But it might make it half blind. Share
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'woke & weak' Biden administration weaponized 'Women, Peace & Security' program: Pete Hegseth ends WPS
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth boasted about dismantling a program supporting women on security teams, which he claimed that the "woke & weak" Joe Biden administration distorted & weaponized the "Women, Peace & Security' program. In a post on X, Hegseth said, "This morning, I proudly ENDED the 'Women, Peace & Security' (WPS) program inside the @DeptofDefense. WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING. WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it. DoD will hereby executive the minimum of WPS required by statute, and fight to end the program for our next budget." — PeteHegseth (@PeteHegseth) However, after the media start reminding him that the legislation was signed into law by US President Donald Trump in 2017, Hegseth posted another post on his X account, clarifying that the straight-forward & security-focused WPS initiative was launched in 2017 but ending because it was distorted by the Biden administration. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo He said, "The woke & weak Biden Administration distorted & weaponized the straight-forward & security-focused WPS initiative launched in 2017. So—yes—we are ending the 'woke divisive/social justice/Biden (WPS) initiative.' Biden ruined EVERYTHING, including 'Women, Peace & Security'." The programme received support from Trump's Cabinet during its legislative development. In April, Gen. Dan Caine, newly appointed Joint Chiefs Chairman, testified to Congress about the programme's battlefield effectiveness. He highlighted how female team members helped gather intelligence from women and children during field operations. Trump's nomination of Caine was influenced by their interactions during Caine's service in Iraq. The 2017 Women, Peace and Security Act was authored by then-Representative Kristi Noem and Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the House. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who co-sponsored the Senate version, recently noted it as the first global legislation focusing on women's protection and societal participation. The initiative originated from a Security Council resolution in October 2000, aiming to involve women in peace-building efforts. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric defended the programme, citing its success in increasing female peacekeepers' participation and improving civilian protection in conflict zones.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pete Hegseth Brags About Ending 'Woke' Program Created by Trump
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday bragged about ending a military program he described as 'yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative.' But that initiative—the Women, Peace & Security program—was started by the Trump administration in 2017 after he signed a bipartisan bill authored by Kristi Noem and Jan Schakowsky. The measure was also supported at the time by Mike Waltz and Marco Rubio. Three of those four people named now work at the highest levels of the Trump administration. 'This morning, I proudly ENDED the 'Women, Peace & Security' (WPS) program inside the @DeptofDefense. WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING,' Hegseth wrote on X. 'WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it. DoD will hereby executive the minimum of WPS required by statute, and fight to end the program for our next budget. GOOD RIDDANCE WPS!' Yet in 2020, Trump-appointed Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman described this same program as a worthwhile national effort. 'By recognizing the diverse roles women play across the spectrum of conflict—and by incorporating their perspectives throughout plans and operations—DOD is better equipped to promote our security, confront near-peer competitors, and defeat our adversaries,' he said. 'When we recognize the diverse roles women play as agents of change; and when we incorporate their perspectives throughout our plans and operations, we are better equipped to promote our security, confront our near peer competitors, and defeat our adversaries,' said Stephanie Hammond, another Trump Defense Department staffer. 'It will help the department strengthen alliances and attract new partners by demonstrating U.S. commitment to human rights and women's empowerment, making the United States the partner of choice.' The program Hegseth is now vilifying was fully backed by MAGA, and it takes anyone about 30 seconds to figure that out. Another honest blunder from Hegseth—whose name has been rightfully followed by words like 'embattled' and 'controversy' ever since his Cabinet nomination—would be unsurprising. Or maybe he's just lying blatantly again.
Deccan Herald
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Pentagon chief cancels program on women in security that was signed into law by Trump
This morning, I proudly ENDED the 'Women, Peace & Security' (WPS) program inside the @DeptofDefense. WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING. WPS is a UNITED…
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pete Hegseth Bragged About Ending A 'Woke' Program. There's Just 1 Problem.
The initiative that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth bragged about ending on Tuesday was actually one that President Donald Trump touted during his first term as a way of empowering women. 'This morning, I proudly ENDED the 'Women, Peace & Security' (WPS) program inside the @DeptofDefense,' Hegseth wrote on X. He went on: 'WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops — distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING. WPS is a UNITED NATIONS program pushed by feminists and left-wing activists. Politicians fawn over it; troops HATE it.' He said the Pentagon would comply with it only so far as it had to by law, and would 'fight to end the program for our next budget.' Yet it was Trump — not former President Joe Biden — who signed the Women, Peace and Security Act into law in October 2017 after the measure garnered bipartisan support in Congress. Two years later, Trump's administration released a strategy to implement the initiative throughout the U.S. government. It grew out of a United Nations initiative but found plenty of advocates on Capitol Hill. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was one of the bill's authors, back when she was a congresswoman from South Dakota. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also co-sponsored the Senate's version of the bill, and recently touted it as 'the first comprehensive law passed in any country in the world — the first law passed by any country anywhere in the world — focused on protecting women and promoting their participation in society.' The measure acknowledged that when women participate in mediation, conflict resolution, and peacekeeping efforts, they are stronger for it. 'GOOD RIDDANCE WPS!' Hegseth wrote on X. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( the lead Republican sponsor in her chamber, told HuffPost she was 'disappointed' in the secretary's decision. 'I believe Ivanka Trump was very interested in this. I think we've learned that through our experience in Iraq and in Afghanistan that women have a powerful experience achieving and seeking peace and security in countries where maybe they don't have the same kinds of rights that we do here,' Capito said. The defense secretary's short tenure has so far been plagued by missteps. Since The Atlantic revealed that Hegseth had accidentally texted information on a planned military attack to the publication's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, reports have emerged that cast doubt on Hegseth's ability to keep sensitive information secure. Trump has so far stood behind the former Fox News host, who came into the job with no experience leading an organization as large and well-funded as the U.S. military apparatus. 'I think he's gonna get it together,' Trump told The Atlantic over the weekend. Igor Bobic contributed to this report.
