Women Have Made Progress in National Security Leadership Positions

{
  "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"
  ]
}

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.

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

Political Reform Security Military North America United 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 Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Commentary
Diwan
On AI, Cairo Plays China and the U.S. Off Against Each Other
Huawei pushed hard to enter the Egyptian data centers market, until the Americans made a better offer.
Angie Omar
Commentary
Diwan
Less of America is More
Middle Eastern states should welcome an accelerated U.S. disengagement from their region.
Michael Young
Commentary
Diwan
A Strategic Disaster that Devalues U.S. Military Prowess
In an interview, former ambassador Charles Freeman assesses the Trump administration’s war against Iran.
Michael Young
Commentary
Diwan
In the Trump Gaza Plan, Diplomatic Failure is Success
By failing to address Palestinian representation, the current process is bound to lead to just another temporary arrangement.
Nathan J. Brown
Paper
Egypt’s Military Landlord Economy and its Limitations
The armed forces champion a form of capitalism that is generating revenue, but its reliance on rent faces diminishing returns, leaving the country with massive sunk costs and deferred returns, deepening dependency on external borrowing.
Yezid Sayigh

Women Have Made Progress in National Security Leadership Positions

More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Commentary

Diwan

On AI, Cairo Plays China and the U.S. Off Against Each Other

Huawei pushed hard to enter the Egyptian data centers market, until the Americans made a better offer.

Angie Omar

Commentary

Diwan

Less of America is More

Middle Eastern states should welcome an accelerated U.S. disengagement from their region.

Michael Young

Commentary

Diwan

A Strategic Disaster that Devalues U.S. Military Prowess

In an interview, former ambassador Charles Freeman assesses the Trump administration’s war against Iran.

Michael Young

Commentary

Diwan

In the Trump Gaza Plan, Diplomatic Failure is Success

By failing to address Palestinian representation, the current process is bound to lead to just another temporary arrangement.

Nathan J. Brown

Paper

Egypt’s Military Landlord Economy and its Limitations

The armed forces champion a form of capitalism that is generating revenue, but its reliance on rent faces diminishing returns, leaving the country with massive sunk costs and deferred returns, deepening dependency on external borrowing.

Yezid Sayigh