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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 |
New and InterestingAlliance for National Defensescreen saverfor Windows computers |
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Hot-button issues
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Top AND stories
· AND mourns Gen. Holm · DOD releases sexual assault report · Ninth Conference on Women in the Military
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Military Women in the News
· IAVA releases a groundbreaking report on female troops and veterans: "Women Warriors: Supporting She 'Who Has Borne the Battle.'" Click here for a copy of the report.
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Calendar of Upcoming Events
Let us know about your events
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Summer 2011 AND ADVOCATE ONLINE |
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AND mourns passing of Maj. Gen. Jeanne Holm First woman in any military branch to reach the rank of two-star general |
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AND National Advisory Council Member and military pioneer Maj. Gen. Jeanne Holm, the first woman in any branch to earn two stars and the highest ranking woman in the armed forces from 1965-1975, died Feb.15 of cardiovascular disease. She was 88.
Gen. Holm joined the military in July 1942 and retired three decades later.
After becoming the first woman to attend the Air Command and Staff School, serving as chief of manpower for Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, and as a congressional staff officer, Holm was appointed director of personnel of women in the Air Force. In this position (which she extended twice), Holm played a significant role in eliminating restrictions on women in service.
"I can say in absolute candor and honesty that we wouldn't have women in the Air Force without Jeanne Holm," Air Force Brig. Gen. Jean Klick has said. |
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BE A MENTOR IN THE VETERANWOMEN iMENTOR PROGRAM
We all hear about the struggles of returning veterans…here’s your chance to make a difference in the life of such a veteran…a woman veteran. Consider becoming an online mentor to a woman veteran seeking employment. AcademyWomen is a proud partner of the Veteran Women Project, a program designed to provide a variety of services to assist women veterans in Southwestern Washington state find employment. A core element of Veteran Women is an online mentoring program that pairs women veteran clients with volunteer women veteran mentors (regardless of previous rank or current location) for 6-month or one-year online mentoring relationships. Mentors are responsible to develop a mentoring relationship with the mentee and to support her in her job search or preparation for the search via weekly emails sent through the online mentoring platform’s messaging tool.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor in this exciting program, you may apply at the https://pic.imentorinteractive.org/survey/intake/mentor/ or call the program director, Emily Stoutsenberger at 360-696-8417 for more info. |
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Air Force General Margaret Woodward: first woman to lead U.S. air war |
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March 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Air Force general directing the airstrikes over Libya has flown aerial tankers into battle and commanded the pilots of Air Force One -- and is now the first woman to lead a combat air campaign. Major General Margaret Woodward, 51, was in charge of the 17th Air Force, a unit that supports humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in Africa, when she was ordered to set up the United Nations-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya. |
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Author Thérèse A. Hughes updates progress on I Am A U. S. Veteran: Women in Wars & Conflicts [WWII to Current Conflicts] “Every time I meet a new female veteran, I realize I touch a personal part of history in defense of our nation…”
Here a excerpts from her note: “Because of your support in these areas and more [provision of advice, networking, and making this project a reality], I am writing to share the progress of I am a U. S. Veteran: Women in Wars & Conflicts [WWII to Current Conflicts]. This past weekend, I attended the Arizona Women Veteran's Conference. Here I interviewed and photographed 37 women Veterans in a day and a half. The most interesting part of this event was the inclusion of all categories of women from WWII to Current Conflicts. In addition, I met, interviewed and photographed our future. The bookends were a 90 year old WAC/WASP and four Civil Air Patrol ROTC members (above). Read the entire Thérèse Hughes letter here. |
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AND urges DOD to end ordering/permitting U.S. military women to wear the hijab |
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The Alliance for National Defense has urged the defense department to direct commanders to neither allow nor order military women to wear the hajib head covering while performing their duties in Afghanistan. While expressing understanding for cultural sensitivities, the letter to then-Defense Secretary Gates cited three telling arguments against the practice: · Personal safety: Substituting the hajib for a regulation helmet might place the service members at undue risk; · Uniform regulations: the hijab is an unauthorized item and should not be worn with the U.S. military uniform whether it is apparent or covered; · Force cohesion. Improper wearing of the uniform or wearing unauthorized items undermines the discipline of our military.
The letter, jointly signed by the Alliance and the Women’s Research and Education Institute, points out the despite cultural sensitivities, military men are not authorized to wear the turbans or keffiyehs of the host country while in uniform.
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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 this year’s gathering, please click here
To learn more about this year’s gathering, please click here
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They made it happen
WREI Director and WIM Conference 'angel' Robert M. Kaufman; WREI President Susan Scanlan; Alliance for National Defense President Emerita Brigadier General Pat Foote, USA (Ret.) and AND Director SGM Toni Ross, USA (Ret), standing in for ailing AND President Capt. Pat Gormley, JAGC, USN (Ret.), and injured AND Executive VP Lt. Colonel Sherry de Vries, USMCR (Ret.); principal conference organizer Capt. Lory Manning, USN (Ret.); 2010 Positive Voice Award recipient Capt. Barbara Brehm, USN (Ret.); former AND Director Colonel Michelle (Mitzi) Manning, USMC (Ret.); and AND Director Lt. Col. Ruth Walsh, USMC (Ret.).
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