An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | April 4, 2023

U.S. Army Japan Host Inaugural Women, Peace and Security Symposium

CAMP ZAMA, Japan -- U.S. Army Japan (USARJ) hosted their inaugural Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Symposium March 6-8, bringing together stakeholders from the United States and Japan to advance bilateral cooperation on WPS in the Indo-Pacific region.

Over the course of three days, the conference welcomed both men and women officers, non-commissioned officers and civilians from both countries. The diverse group of speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions promoted a gendered perspective and equal involvement of women in decision making.

WPS is an international framework that emerged from United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and recognizes that women must be critical actors in all efforts to achieve international peace and security. It promotes a gendered perspective and women’s equal and meaningful participation in peace processes, peacebuilding and security.

“Women, Peace & Security, or WPS, is ultimately about ensuring that women are equally and meaningfully engaged in every space where conversations and decisions about peace and security are being made,” said Maj. Gen. JB Vowell, commander of USARJ. “As half the population, women deserve to play an equal part in the institutions and processes that affect their lives.”

Vowell went on to highlight how a gender perspective leads to a more effective understanding of the strategic environment. “A security approach that takes gender dynamics into account can help us better understand some of the most complex threats in our region,” Vowell said. He elaborated that understanding “how conflict, crises, and other security challenges affect men, women, boys, and girls in different ways,” enables leaders to “develop more holistic, human-centered approaches to security.”

“For the defense sector, implementing WPS means not only ensuring that women are equally and meaningfully engaged in peace and security sectors, but also that gender considerations are included during military analysis, planning, and execution of our operations and exercises, and in the assessment of our effects,” said Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Deputy Commander.

Monica Herrera, an experienced DoD Gender Advisor from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Office of WPS, elaborated on this concept during her keynote presentation, which focused on operationalizing gender perspectives. She discussed how the Department of Defense, including U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, conducts training to certify DoD Gender Focal Points and Gender Advisors. Coursework provides practical tools that enable students to recognize gender as a key characteristic of the operational environment and to use that knowledge to inform mission planning

Herrera introduced participants to an analytical framework called gender analysis. She stressed that “a gender analysis is not just about looking at the roles of women during conflict and crisis, it’s about examining expectations of both men and women, as well as the relationships and power dynamics between men and women, to better understand a specific cultural context.”

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s WPS team also helped design the event to ensure participants could build both knowledge and skills across the three days of the symposium, including hands-on application of WPS principles. Participants conducted a site visit to the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, where they were able to work in teams to apply a gender perspective during a unique simulation and discussion session facilitated by Maj. Alexei Fainblout, the Gender Advisor at U.S. Army Pacific Command, and MSG Leia Puco, a trained Gender Focal Point and civil-military operations expert also at U.S. Army Pacific Command.

There were also opportunities for participants to build relationships, networks, and mutual understanding to enable future bilateral cooperation on WPS. Attendees participated in break-out sessions on the final day to identify tangible opportunities to both operationalize and institutionalize WPS together. Their recommendations included training Gender Focal Points to participate in bilateral exercises, pursuing integration of gender perspectives into military doctrine, and identifying WPS champions who can influence meaningful change within defense organizations.

The symposium also reflected the guiding principles of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s WPS program, which emphasizes a whole-of-government, whole-of-society, multinational, and localized approach to WPS implementation. Speakers and panelists from civil society organizations, including the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, U.S. Institute of Peace, Japan Platform, and Pacific Forum, informed discussions focused on building multi-sector partnerships on WPS.

Japanese parliamentarian Yoko Kamikawa, a member of Japan’s newly established WPS Caucus, emphasized Japan’s commitments to WPS during her keynote address at the symposium dinner and highlighted the importance of events like this. “I am truly grateful that the U.S. military, together with SDF, are holding symposiums to deepen the understanding of WPS and strengthen our cooperation and partnership,” she said. “The WPS perspective is also critical to the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
US Army sustainers provide sealift to Australian armor for Super Garuda Shield
Australian Army M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks and vehicles are unloaded from the United States Army Vessel SSGT Robert T. Kuroda at Tanjung Perak Port in Indonesia during Exercise Super Garuda Shield 2023. At the invitation of Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), Australia is contributing over 125 personnel from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to Exercise Super Garuda Shield 2023 (SGS23). SGS23 is an TNI and United States Indo Pacific Command led bilateral training activity. It is focused on joint operations with international partners in and around East Java in Indonesia from 31 August to 13 September. Held since 2009, the ADF first participated in 2022, and in 2023 is contributing an Australian Army force element including a Troop of M1A1 Abrams tanks from the 1st Armoured Regiment. The contingent also includes an Infantry Platoon from the 10th/27th Battalion, Royal South Australian Regiment, command and control elements, and a range of armoured vehicles, trucks and recovery vehicles. (Photo by Australian Defence Force Cpl. Dustin Anderson)
Sept. 19, 2023 - With Logistics Support Vessel 7 SSGT Robert Kuroda already in Australia for Talisman Sabre 2023, the conditions were set to transport Australian Defence Force tanks and equipment to Indonesia for Super Garuda Shield...

Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit
Sept. 19, 2023 - President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will host Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders at the White House on September 25, 2023 during the second U.S.-Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Summit taking place September 25-26...

Joint Press Statement for the 23rd Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue
Sept. 18, 2023 - The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense (MND) held the 23rd Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) on September 18, 2023 in Seoul...

Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade Supports 2nd Infantry Division During Ulchi Freedom Shield 23 Exercise
The Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade (ARCPB) successfully supported the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) C6 directorate in a critical operational support exercise from August 12 to September 2, 2023, as part of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield 23 (UFS23) exercise.
Sept. 18, 2023 - The Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade (ARCPB) successfully supported the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) C6 directorate in a critical operational support exercise from August 12 to September 2, 2023, as part of the annual...

5th ANGLICO Marines Conduct the Korean Maritime Exchange Program 23.3 (KMEP)
A U.S. Marine with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines and Republic of Korea Marines with 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 2nd Marine Division participate in a combined patrol during Korean Marine Exercise Program 23.3 at Rodriguez Live-fire Complex, Republic of Korea, March 28, 2023. KMEP is a series of continuous-combined training exercises designed to enhance the ROK-U.S. Alliance, promote stability on the Korean Peninsula, and strengthen combined military capabilities and interoperability. 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program.
Sept. 18, 2023 - From July to August 2023, U.S. Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (5th ANGLICO), III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, participated in the Korean Marine Exchange Program 23.3 (KMEP)...