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Women in Defense & Security

WIIS has a long history of promoting equality and advancing women’s leadership in defense and security sectors. In policy analysis, training, and institutional support, WIIS shows gender matters–because women bring talent, skills, insights, and experience that strengthen institutional effectiveness and achieve operational goals at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels.


Security Cooperation

Through its training courses and data collection and analysis, WIIS assists security organizations and U.S. Combatant Commands and partner nations worldwide in assessing progress in implementing the WPS agenda in state security sector forces.

Gender Assessment Tool

The WIIS Gender Assessment Tool is a monitoring and evaluation tool that measures the progress made by states or organizations in integrating the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 into their national security policies, military operations, and defense institutions.

Trainings and Courses

WIIS offers a network of experienced professionals who evaluate and assess existing Women, Peace & Security plans and programs and provide training for government agencies, including security institutions, that prioritize the operationalization of gender mainstreaming in policies and missions.

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Peacekeeping and Security

More women participating in peacekeeping operations and missions in civilian, military, and police force roles means better operational effectiveness. WIIS conducts evidence-based research affirming that women’s participation in peace and security operations is vital to conflict prevention and mitigation.

Combat Integration Initiative (CII)

In 2013, WIIS established the Combat Integration Initiative (CII) to monitor the full integration of women into the military armed services. The CII monitored, evaluated, and published data on women’s full integration into the then-newly opened combat occupations in the U.S. military.

Army Women’s Museum Archive and Exhibit

Between 2014-2015, WIIS interviewed 15 women assigned to special operations teams in Afghanistan who served in ground combat as part of the Cultural Support Team program. The interviews were donated to the Army Women’s Museum at Fort Lee, Virginia.

Combat Integration Handbook

A WIIS 2017 working conference with members from the U.S. Department of Defense resulted in the publication of a Handbook. The Army revised and updated it in 2021, with full credit given to WIIS as the originating institution.

The Atlantic Project

The Atlantic directed a documentary video of the women combat soldiers who served in Afghanistan’s all-female cultural support teams. You can view it here. 

CII Conferences

WIIS hosted a number of CII conferences over the years. CSPAN covered two. You can view them here.

Resources

The WIIS Gender Scorecard: Washington, DC Think Tanks- 2018 Assessments, Monitoring, and Evaluations
Enhancing Security in Latin America and the Caribbean Assessments, Monitoring, and Evaluations