Integrating women in the military: US, Botswana hold Women, Peace and Security exchange during Southern Accord

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GABORONE, Botswana-As part of exercise Southern Accord 2024, service members from U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), and the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) took part in a two-day Women, Peace and Security (WPS) workshop, Aug. 13-14, focused on best practices for integrating women more fully into military service.

Southern Accord is a two-week bi-lateral training exercise that strengthens security cooperation and interoperability between U.S. and Botswana forces through a series of field training events and academic exchanges held at three primary locations, Gaborone, Thebephatshwa and Shoshong.

As it relates to the military, WPS refers to the meaningful participation of women in the armed forces and the integration of a gender perspective in all aspects of military organizations, operations and functions in order to increase military readiness and operational effectiveness.

Heading this week's WPS exchange in Gaborone were Lt. Col. Simana, gender advisor in the BDF's Gender Integration office, and U.S. Army Lt. Col. Teisha Barnes, gender lead for WPS efforts at SETAF-AF.

"Signing the 5-year memorandum of understanding was a big step taken last year," said Simana. "We are working to build capacity. We must incorporate appropriate gender initiatives into local operations, so they become part and parcel of our daily activities for both domestic and international operations."

While women have been integrated into the BDF for more than 15 years, leaders have recently sought to develop a more inclusive and efficient combat-ready force.

In September 2023, Howard Van Vranken, the U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, as well as leaders from the BDF and the North Carolina National Guard, signed the "DoD-BDF Women, Peace, and Security 5-year plan (2024-2029)" focused on three major lines of effort: sexual harassment and assault response and prevention (SHARP); organizational reform; and social welfare which delves into quality of life and health initiatives.

The BDF and North Carolina National Guard have partnered together since 2008, as part of the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program.

The BDF further established the Gender Integration office, with a strategic focus on cultivating robust gender inclusive systems, policies, programs and services that will eventually be implemented across all ranks, from the headquarters to unit levels.

"Now that we are having more discussions and training, I believe we are moving on the right track to meet this challenge," Simana said.

Barnes has integrated WPS initiatives into three major exercises executed by SETAF-AF in the last year, and she and her team have taken part in more than a dozen military-to-military exchanges with African partners.

She emphasized that the BDF exchange was not a one-way conversation, but instead, was about learning from one another.

"The integration of women into the BDF is fairly new. The U.S. military has been working at it for more than 60 years, and we continue to make institutional improvements based on gender," she said, pointing to recent U.S. Army initiatives to redesign female uniforms and battle gear based on women's overall body structure.

The workshop included conversations on gender roles; equality versus equity; recruitment, retention and promotions; the WPS framework; and the BDF's strategic plan for gender inclusion.

"The WPS exchange is an opportunity for us to share best practices based on what we've learned in the U.S., but more importantly, to listen to what may work for Botswana based on their unique needs," Barnes said.

Like the U.S., the BDF has also faced challenges regarding ill-fitted battle gear traditionally made for men's bodies, which have contributed to pelvic stress fractures in women.

Other areas of consideration included building separate facilities for women, preventing and responding to sexual harassment and assault, maternal and paternal policies, dress and appearance standards, and ensuring women are included in decision making positions and processes.

During a BDF-led session, Van Vranken joined the class, saying he was pleased to see the BDF's commitment to the initiatives.

The Ambassador is a strong supporter of BDF's leadership in leveraging WPS initiatives to take on gender-based violence issues not only in Botswana's military, but the whole of society. He encouraged those attending to continue their important work and pledged to stay engaged with the process.

"This is an important goal but not an easy one," he said. "It is simple to articulate. We need to allow everyone to contribute and to maximize their contributions. But it can be difficult to implement because it requires everyone to do something, and it starts with a mindset change."

Simana, who recently returned from Zambia where he attended a U.S. Africa Command-sponsored gender advisor course, shared the Ambassador's sentiment.

"When you do advocacy work, you can sometimes meet with resistance and negative receptions," he said. "From the course I just attended, I learned it is important to be bold, brave and ambitious when you advocate for change, and that's the approach I'm taking."

About WPS

According to the U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations website, WPS is a global policy framework recognizing that women's meaningful participation is critical to achieving stability, peace, and security. The WPS Agenda evolved from U.N. Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 adopted on Oct. 31, 2000.

About Southern Accord

Sponsored by U.S. Africa Command and led by the SETAF-AF, Southern Accord is a joint bi-annual exercise that unites U.S. Army and Air Force personnel with their Botswana Defence Force (BDF) counterparts. The exercise focuses on conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, peacekeeping missions and aeromedical evacuations, all while enhancing multinational military capabilities and interoperability.

About SETAF-AF

SETAF-AF providesU.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis-response options in Africa and Europe.

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