U.S.-led military commands in Korea hold 1st forum on women's roles for peace

Defense

Published: 14 Jun. 2023, 10:11 Updated: 14 Jun. 2023, 10:32

U.S.-led military commands in Korea hold 1st forum on women's roles for peace

British Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison, the deputy commander of the United Nations Command, speaks during the Woman, Peace and Security (WPS) symposium at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday. [UNITED NATIONS COMMAND]

The Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, the United Nations Command (UNC) and the United States Forces Korea hosted the inaugural Woman, Peace and Security symposium at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, discussing women's contributions to diversity, creativity and resilience to peace operations.

In his opening remarks, British Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison, the UNC deputy commander, noted the value of enhancing the global commitment to ensure women are more systematically integrated into peace operations, as their roles are "central."

"Incorporating diverse perspectives into our plans and our organizations makes us better equipped to confront our competitors. It makes us more likely to be able to defeat our adversaries, and of course, in the end, it'll save lives," Harrison said.

Harrison shared the history of his female family members having served in the defense sector. His mother was a former defense official, while his wife was his fellow soldier. His daughter was commissioned as an Army officer last year.

At the symposium, participants explored the benefits of women's engagement for operational effectiveness, peace negotiations and other efforts to foster regional and global security.

William A. Wieninger, professor at the Hawaii-based Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, gave a mathematical image underlining the importance of leveraging all untapped human resources.

"If 25.8 percent of your population has above average intelligence, and you only recruit males in the U.S., you have 43 million candidates. If you recruit both genders, you have 86 million candidates," he said. "For the Republic of Korea, your recruitment pool doubles from 6.5 million to almost 13 million."

Miemie Winn Byrd, another professor at the center, delved into the role of Myanmar women in their resistance against military leaders, whom she depicted as being "at the tip of the spear to maintain democracy" in a country at the doorstep of China.

"Women bring different types of tactics to the fight because the military has firepower, but women understand people power and smart power," she said.

"I hope that this shows you ... by utilizing that blind spot, half of the population, how you can go about making a difference against our opponents."

Yonhap