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 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Diwan
Pushing Beirut into an Armed Conflict With Hezbollah Is Insane
The party’s domestic and regional roles have changed, so Lebanon should devise a disarmament strategy that encompasses this.
Michael Young
Article
Continental Asia and the Rise of Portfolio Politics
“Central Asia” as an analytical category is itself part of the problem. The term is a Soviet administrative inheritance, drawn along lines that served the convenience of Moscow. The Central Asian states the Soviets named no longer see themselves through this category alone and are not aligning across political blocs but are instead building external partnerships sector by sector, assigning different partners to different functions.
Jennifer B. Murtazashvili
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
In Russia, Private Companies Have Been Left to Pick Up the Tab for Ukrainian Drone Attacks
The cost of air defense has become an unregistered tax on revenue for businesses. While military rents are consolidated in the federal budget, the costs of defense are being spread across the balance sheets of companies and regional governments.
Alexandra Prokopenko
Paper
California’s Global Trade Cities: Driving Local and National Outcomes
Cities across the United States facilitate investment in American communities. Yet, because global attention remains focused on U.S. trade policy, their distinctive and bold local approaches to international trade and investment promotion are often underappreciated.
Wyatt Frank, Marissa Jordan
Commentary
The Unresolved Challenges in U.S.–India Semiconductor Cooperation
The U.S.–India semiconductor cooperation story is well-stocked with top-level strategic intent. What remains unresolved, however, are some underlying challenges that will determine whether the cooperation actually functions. Three such friction points stand out.
Shruti Mittal

Women Have Made Progress in National Security Leadership Positions

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary

Diwan

Pushing Beirut into an Armed Conflict With Hezbollah Is Insane

The party’s domestic and regional roles have changed, so Lebanon should devise a disarmament strategy that encompasses this.

Michael Young

Article

Continental Asia and the Rise of Portfolio Politics

“Central Asia” as an analytical category is itself part of the problem. The term is a Soviet administrative inheritance, drawn along lines that served the convenience of Moscow. The Central Asian states the Soviets named no longer see themselves through this category alone and are not aligning across political blocs but are instead building external partnerships sector by sector, assigning different partners to different functions.

Jennifer B. Murtazashvili

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

In Russia, Private Companies Have Been Left to Pick Up the Tab for Ukrainian Drone Attacks

The cost of air defense has become an unregistered tax on revenue for businesses. While military rents are consolidated in the federal budget, the costs of defense are being spread across the balance sheets of companies and regional governments.

Alexandra Prokopenko

Paper

California’s Global Trade Cities: Driving Local and National Outcomes

Cities across the United States facilitate investment in American communities. Yet, because global attention remains focused on U.S. trade policy, their distinctive and bold local approaches to international trade and investment promotion are often underappreciated.

Wyatt Frank, Marissa Jordan

Commentary

The Unresolved Challenges in U.S.–India Semiconductor Cooperation

The U.S.–India semiconductor cooperation story is well-stocked with top-level strategic intent. What remains unresolved, however, are some underlying challenges that will determine whether the cooperation actually functions. Three such friction points stand out.

Shruti Mittal