• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUUkraine
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Deepti Choubey",
    "Paula D. Broadwell",
    "Laura S.H. Holgate"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "U.S. Nuclear Policy"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "NPP",
  "programs": [
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Security",
    "Military"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Women Have Made Progress in National Security Leadership Positions

Women's leadership in international security is moving from the sidelines to center court, but the bench is not deep enough, and too many women are taking themselves out of the game. President-elect Obama’s administration should draw on the pool of talented women to bring fresh perspective to his international security team.

Link Copied
By Deepti Choubey, Paula D. Broadwell, Laura S.H. Holgate
Published on Dec 12, 2008

Source: US News & World Report

The appointment of Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations and Hillary Clinton as secretary of state shows that women have made considerable strides in international security leadership. Yet problems remain – for example, women make up fourteen percent of all Army personnel, but only five percent of the officer corps – and there is a serious disconnect between the large pool of women studying international relations and serving in the military and the number of women in top security leadership positions.

Women in International Security at the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University examined the status of women working in leadership positions in international security institutions, including the United Nations and key agencies of the U.S. government. The study found that in the United States, as well as the international community at large, equal representation is not yet a reality. President-elect Obama’s administration should continue the positive trend it started with the appointment of Susan Rice and Hillary Clinton and draw on the large supply of talented women to bring fresh perspective to his international security team.

Click here to read the full article.

About the Authors

Deepti Choubey

Former Deputy Director, Nuclear Policy Program

Choubey was previously the director of the Peace and Security Initiative for the Ploughshares Fund. She also worked for Ambassador Nancy Soderberg in the New York office of the International Crisis Group.

Paula D. Broadwell

Laura S.H. Holgate

Authors

Deepti Choubey
Former Deputy Director, Nuclear Policy Program
Deepti Choubey
Paula D. Broadwell
Laura S.H. Holgate
Political ReformSecurityMilitaryNorth AmericaUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Does the EU Have a Germany Problem?

    Are Germany’s economic, industrial, and political struggles becoming a liability for the EU’s ability to rise to the geopolitical moment?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    The Speech Ursula von der Leyen Can’t Deliver

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is about to give her annual address on the state of the EU. Here’s what she won’t—but should—say.

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz

  • Le Pen France Far Right
    Article
    How Europe’s 2027 Elections Could Test EU Governance

    Radical-right parties are expected to do well in upcoming elections in four of the EU's biggest member states. If successful, they could prevent the union from addressing key challenges ahead.

      Stefan Lehne

  • Carney Canada EU Trump
    Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Is Canada Leading a Third Way?

    Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has twice inspired praise for standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump: at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos and on Canada-U.S. trade negotiations. Is Carney showing a third way better than the EU has in dealing with the Trump administration?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

  • Pituffik base greenland US Denmark
    Article
    Europe’s Overseas Countries and Territories as Geopolitical Assets

    European states control several Overseas Countries and Territories around the world that carry strategic, economic, and environmental weight. As great powers challenge the rules-based order, defending them is a geopolitical imperative for Europe.

      Marc Pierini

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.