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Military women: We’ve got your back!
We’re AND — a positive voice for American military women.
Military women have earned our nation’s gratitude and our support.
Women have served in all American conflicts. It’s been 60 years since women became official, permanent members our military services.
Today, women are a vital, irreplaceable part of our all-volunteer forces. They have served — often in harm’s way — with distinction alongside their brothers and, unfortunately, all-too-many including those represented in our Gallery of Heroines have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
Who We Are
A non-profit, tax-exempt educational organization comprised of veterans from all service branches and concerned civilians, AND collects the facts and figures – factual, thoughtful, objective information – on US military women and provides them to scholars, the media, national decision makers and the public.
We believe: A full partnership between women and men strengthens America's military. Military readiness and mission accomplishment are of critical importance. Excellence in performance is required from all who serve in the armed forces, regardless of gender. What We Do
AND covers the backs of military women, encouraging and promoting the vital role of military women in our nation's defense.
AND brings organizations and individuals together to continually monitor the accomplishments of American military women and the level of support they receive from their services. And we spread the word so everyone can better understand their sacrifices and the often unique challenges military women face in their services and in their lives.
We hope you will find this site a valuable resource on the status of and issues effecting military women.
We hope you will learn, join in discussions and make this site your personal resource.
AND is a member-supported organization and we invite you to join with us in supporting American Military women with your time and money. Again, welcome to The Alliance for National Defense. |
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News from AND |
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Welcome to AND The Alliance for National Defense |
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Hot-button issues
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Top AND stories
· President calls military sex offences “not only unacceptable, but illegal and unpatriotic.” · DOD releases sexual assault report · Congress set to change UCMJ ‘convening authority’ powers. · Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response unit head charged with sexual battery
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Calendar of Upcoming Events
Let us know about your events
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Women in the Military at the Crossroads Ninth Conference on Women in the Military
October 27-28, 2011 at WIMSA Arlington, VA
Combining Real-world Experience and Academic Insight
AND partnered with the Women’s Research and Education Institute (WREI) to create and implement this important conference. With its unique combination of presentations by senior officers who create or implement policies, junior officers and enlisted with front line experience, academics who study and quantify policy implications and advocacy groups who often speak for the voiceless, the conference played a valuable role in furthering AND’s mission supporting military women and the men who serve with them.
To learn more about the 2012 gathering, please click here
To learn more about this year’s gathering, please click here
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AND Now on Facebook |
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The new Alliance for National Defense Facebook page is now live. While this website will remain the Alliance’s primary communications vehicle, Facebook is an effective tool for getting the word out quickly on issues and pending events. Click on the icon below to check out and (please!) ‘Like’ the AND Facebook page. |
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AND Active in Fight For Servicewomen's Healthcare Equality |
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In early January, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act that included the Shaheen Amendment that lifts the current ban on military insurance coverage for abortions, allowing federal funding for service women and military dependents in cases of rape and incest.
The Alliance had made passage of the amendment a major priority and is allying itself with other women’s and veterans groups to work toward that goal.
Earlier in September AND President Lt. Col. Sherry de Vries, USMCR (Ret.), joined a stellar group of retired military and national organization leaders from around the country for three days of advocacy for the Shaheen Amendment September 19-21.
As the NDAA made its way from the Senate Armed Services Committee to Senate Passage and on to a House Senate Conference, Alliance officers, directors and members of the National Advisory Council continued contacts with legislators, congressional staffs and executive branch officials to insure passage of the legislation with the Shaheen Amendment in tact and to promote White House approval.
Read the Alliance Letter supporting the Amendment here
To learn more and add your voice in support of this fairness issue, please visit:
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AND Lauds End of Combat Exclusion; Some 230,000 Jobs to Open to Women |
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Today, the Secretary of Defense ended the “Alice-in-Wonderland” ban on women serving in combat. In a war without frontlines, the previous policy created a distinction without a difference exposing military women to all the dangers of direct combat without crediting the female troops for their time in harm’s way. The old policy actually exposed women troops to additional danger: women work alongside male troops in combat units during the day and then are transported – often over dangerous routes - to an allegedly non-combat unit to sleep before covering the same dangerous road again in the morning. Women are in combat; they currently serve in Afghanistan and had been in combat in Iraq. The chain of command has finally recognized reality. The Alliance for National Defense applauds this action for which we have long lobbied. Women will continue to serve with honor and distinction in all branches of our Armed Services in peace and now officially in combat as well. Nothing is different but nothing will ever be the same! Lt. Col. Sherry M. DeVries, USMCR, (ret.) President
See stories in al.com and Washington Post
“Great statement of this awesome reality! We must now shame the leaders out of any effort to create a new "study group" to see how this will be implemented. Any further delay after decades of denying women access to combat duties for which they have been fully qualified cannot be tolerated…”
Brig. Gen. Pat Foote, USA (Ret.) AND President Emerita
The timing was right, politically, for the outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to declare that he is — upon the recommendation of Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs — lifting the ban on women in ground combat. The team that believes in equal opportunity, as well as equal rights, will have the opportunity to make this happen, and to ensure the continued effectiveness of the military and the safety of all the troops involved…
Cdr. Darlene Iskra, USN (ret.) AND Director
...women have earned it. Women, for the last 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, have been in ground combat, and it's been a slow time coming but the services and our civilian leadership is finally recognizing them and saying 'yes, what you've done has been good. It's helped the country... You've already proved you can do it.. See interview CBS News here
Capt. Lory Manning, USN (ret.)
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Latest Advocate Now Online |
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AND Calls for Action Now on Combat Exclusion Implementation, Military Sexual Assault Epidemic
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Combat Exclusion Implementation To engender real, meaningful change, friends of military women must hold our leaders ‘feet to the fire’ to ensure this groundbreaking change in policy is implemented expeditiously and in line with the intent of total integration based on gender neutral, performance-based standards. If the DoD can’t make it happen administratively, AND supports efforts to seek a judicial remedy.
Sexual Assault AND strongly believes that rape is NOT an ‘occupational hazard’ of serving in the U.S. military. Sexual assault is a crime that can only flourish only in a leadership vacuum. Civilian and military leaders have ‘talked the talk’ on assault prevention. Join us in demanding that they now ‘walk the walk,’ matching tough words with tough deeds to eradicate this epidemic.
Please see the latest issue of The Advocate for news and status update on these issues |
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The Invisible War The Human Face of the Military Sexual Assault Epidemic |
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One of the best ways to understand the enormity of military sexual assault as well as its impact on women — and men — who serve is to view the The Invisible War. This award-winning documentary, features interviews with veterans who recount the events surrounding their assaults. Their stories show many common themes, such as the lack of recourse to an impartial justice system, reprisals against survivors instead of against perpetrators, the absence of adequate emotional and physical care for survivors, the unhindered advancement of perpetrators' careers, and the forced expulsion of survivors from the service. |
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The Invisible War is available on DVD and/or download Netflix, Amazon and most places where videos are sold. |