Symposium offers military women chance to connect, empower and succeed

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Symposium offers military women chance to connect, empower and succeed

Posted 3/15/2011

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by Staff Sgt. Vanessa Young
Defense Media Activity

3/15/2011 - SAN DIEGO (AFNS) -- Military women from across the nation have gathered here March 15 and 16 to focus on professional development during the 24th Annual Joint Women's Leadership Symposium. This is the first time Airmen joined the ranks of the more than 1,300 women at this event.

The symposium's theme, "Connect, Empower, Succeed," reflects the opportunities for leadership development while also highlighting the achievements of women leaders on the front lines around the globe.

Symposium participants will listen to various accomplished civilian and military senior leaders speak on the role women play in the defense of the U.S.

During her address on Women Building Global Security and Stability, Malanne Verveer, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, said that the symposium's theme of connect, empower and succeed should belong to women everywhere.

"Women everywhere are taking courageous steps, they are making a difference and they are responding to their circumstances," she said. "Like all of you, women in the U.S. military are doing enormous work for peace and security around the globe."

In some instances, U.S. military women have served in some situations where men cannot, she added. Female engagement teams in Afghanistan go on combat patrols and interact with rural Afghan women in a way not possible for male service members, "...and in a military campaign where the perception of the population is so crucial, the role these female engagement teams is playing is innovative, effective and nothing less than critical."

Among the Air Force speakers at the event are Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, a former astronaut and the first U.S. military woman to fly in space, and Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, the vice commander of Air Force Materiel Command and the highest ranking female in the Air Force.

On the second day of the conference, members from each service will conduct break-out sessions where Airmen can network with leaders and peers on subjects like career progression and balancing work and life.

"One thing I hope to get out of this conference is mentorship and interaction," said Master Sgt. Lisa Jones, the superintendent of Joint Interagency Task Force-South. "I'm really looking forward to our Air Force break out session. That's what's really exciting about this conference, getting with the other Air Force women and talking to them about their problems and their mission."

(Lt. Col. Ann Stefanek, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs contributed to this article)

Comments

3/17/2011 3:53:19 PM ET
Diversity? Heck people do not even greet one another any more. Start with common decency first and then work your way there or you might sprain something.

John G, Langley

3/17/2011 3:45:11 PM ET
Wickerman, Santa isn't real and if Jesus was real, he was not white since he would have been born in the Middle East. These special interest groups, although well-intentioned, are a detriment to the progression of todays Air force. Collectivism is the main focus of basic training. Is it not same uniform, same dorm, same leadership? So why isnt the same idea of collectivism applied to the rest of the military? Especially with the repealing of DADT. We should be working harder to be ONE team in ONE fight. Not splitting things up amongst our sub-groups. United we stand, divided we fall.

AirmanK, Shaw

3/17/2011 1:56:51 PM ET
@ Wickerman. I would not be writing this if your comments were not so laughable. Santa white? The concept of Santa is celebrated across many countries and cultures and portrayed in many images other than a white male. Jesus white? I'm not even going to address that one but would suggest you read the Bible. President's day? Our current president is black. Nuff said.

RMA, SA

3/17/2011 1:48:27 PM ET
I must have missed the part where it said Males were NOT ALLOWED. I find it funny that most of the comments on this are coming from males. When I can fullfill a combat role you can have your own symposium deal. Or is there more that you feel the need to cry about? You are in the military, act like it Quit crying over every thing that you are the primary focus of.

annoyed, Conus

3/17/2011 10:45:38 AM ET
Wow I love it when people always say they are not racist or sexist and don't mind working with diverse people yet all I see on here is negativity. Do you realize that there's not one national holiday for women Majority of holidays you get time off for are white males. Think about it Santa and Jesus are white males President's day was based on white president's birthdays. I say only recently have they added Martin Luther King Day.So stop nay-saying you're in the AF you're here to support not complain that you don't have your own organization. If you think about it there shouldn't be a Toastmasters either because you're discriminating against people that aren't good public speakers and you shouldn't have a Top 3 organization or 56 orginization because you're being selective on who you let participate in each group.

WickerMan, Hill

3/17/2011 10:41:19 AM ET
I think people are viewing these group events beyond what they are meant to be. If you want to talk objectively about this then lets do so. While special interest groups TARGET a specific portion of racereligionculture etc it DOES NOT LIMIT you on attending those events. It is meant as a place where people can openly and freely gather to intermingle and perhaps learn something about the other. American social culture has a nasty problem with the ME factor. What about ME Its all about ME. ME ME ME. Well folks these so called special interest groups you so like to bash is not about YOU. However IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU to learn educate and perhaps better yourself as a human being to make this country and our world a better place to live.

Steve, Tampa

3/17/2011 9:53:58 AM ET
As long as we continue to hyphenate our Americanship we move backwards. I do not care what gender/color/ethnicity you are, but the constant special interest group coverage is getting old. If you are motivated you can succeed - period. Look at the percentages given for 2011. AF gender 80.8 percent male, 19.2 female. 73.3 white. Then look at the leadership breakdown and you will find the stats are within 3-5 percent of this. I am tired of hearing about -American. Seems every 2 weeks I have to make up some excuse as why I will not go to the club to support the flavor of the month. I do it daily. It's called the oath of enlistment.

JL, CONUS

3/17/2011 8:10:08 AM ET
In 2011 I questioned why a prestigious public state university was hosting a black alumni association reunion at great expense to the university's taxpayers. I was chastised by a graduate of the Wharton School of Business Univ of Penn for expressing my views which were all made in the form of questions. She said white males make very poor victims and white males' past behaviors created the discriminatory issues blacks, females, Muslims, LGBTs, etc. face today. She was unwilling to enter into objective academic discussion about it and chose to dismiss any questions as sarcastic and racist. Really? Are white Anglo-Saxon Protestant heterosexual males expected to be discriminated against today based on events that happened in the previous 150-200 years? Should this group simply roll over and stop competing or even trying to be their best? I suggest we all study and learn from the discrimination and lessons from the past and live today as united Americans.

Objective, in Washington DC

3/16/2011 5:51:40 PM ET
We get it - pandering is the new equality and anything resembling equality is oppression. And the amount of equal opportunity a demographic warrants is inversely proportional to its relative populations.

Sgt Whoever, conus

3/16/2011 3:58:23 PM ET
I think JD has a valid point which perhaps was lost in the word he used. I wouldn't call it sexist, but this symposium is by definition of the word discriminatory. We as a society and an Air Force need to move beyond dividng people into groups and subgroups. Making things just for women or for the promotion of insert ethic or special interest group just further divides us and removes us from the one true and universal basis for a professional MERIT.

MB, CONUS

3/16/2011 12:05:50 PM ET
The question becomes where and when do these programs cease. With the ending of DADT, will there be a new symposium every year for a new group or two to attend sponsored by the military? There has to come a point where we as a military and a nation say it is great to be an individual but the group you are most associated with is AMERICAN and not any particular subgroup. It is wrong to just look at the general officer level. The general officers of today entered the service in 1980 or so.

JD, Oklahoma

3/16/2011 11:26:04 AM ET
The Air Force is 18 percent women and only a few General Officers are women. Yet it's sexist to have a conference to promote a distinct gender minority. It's obtuse and myopic idealogies like those that prevent any progress in our advanced military.

Erik Greiner, Washington DC

3/16/2011 10:49:14 AM ET
Sgt whoever...Jerry...Seriously, guys. Get over your male chauvinist views. I believe there are a multitude of other issues that can be addressed rather than knocking females down.

Steve, Tampa

3/16/2011 10:40:26 AM ET
All these race and gender movements and awards/months should be eliminated from the DOD and Federal Government. Who cares if you are black...who cares if you are a female? Aren't we all Americans? What if we had the American Caucasian History Month? What if we had the Male Superiority Symposium? That would be Racist/Sexist. All these programs have been created so someone can 'feel' better about themselves. What a waste of time and money.... Stop the division based on race/sex and start uniting on the We are all Americans vision.

J, Texas

3/16/2011 10:11:57 AM ET
Oh, there's always one or two in the crowd. My demographic makes up 80 percent of the services. I feel left out. Jerry and Sgt, I'm sure they wouldn't turn you away from the Women's Symposium next year - I think you should try to show up. And ask for your commander to fund your trip while you're at it. You can tell them how hard it is to make it in life when you deal with sexist comments like yours all the time. You can talk about how you have to work twice as hard to break even with your peers when you're a second class citizen You can discuss the few times in your career you've had to turn someone in for sexual harrassment and wondered if your coworkers would quit talking to you. And maybe you can even talk about how great it is that you're allowed to keep up with your peers' career paths because you'll be officially allowed in combat roles soon. I think you're right. Women don't have any unique challenges in the military and don't have any reason to get together.

In the minority, CA

3/16/2011 9:54:25 AM ET
Jerry -- How many general officers are old white guys. Most of them, that's how many. And that's why events like military women's symposiums are important.

PB, US

3/16/2011 8:44:11 AM ET
I would like to attend the next meeting of the Annual Joint Men's Leadership Symposium. Oh, wait, that would be sexist. So having a joint Annual Joint Women's Leadership Symposium isn't sexist, but if it were for men it would be? I get it now. Men are second class citizens.

Jerry, Oklahoma

3/15/2011 8:45:39 PM ET
Seriously, I wonder what would happen if a dude tried to organize a male version of this?

Sgt whoever, conus

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