Senator Shaheen Criticizes Termination of Women, Peace, and Security Program

Termination of Women, Peace, and Security Program

• 📌 Senator Jeanne Shaheen expresses strong concern over Secretary Hegseth's decision to end the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) program.
• ⚠️ Hegseth claimed it was a "Biden era DEI policy," but Shaheen points out it was initiated under President Trump in 2017 and signed into law.

Operational Value of WPS

• 💡 The WPS program, initially using female engagement teams for intelligence gathering and trust-building in Iraq and Afghanistan, was later enshrined into law.
• 🎯 Warfighters have utilized WPS for identifying human trafficking victims, non-combatant evacuations, gathering human intelligence on groups like ISIS and al-Shabaab, and improving kinetic and non-kinetic targeting.
• ⚡ Shaheen argues that removing these tools weakens the fighting force and limits options for success.

Strategic Advantages Against Adversaries

• 🔍 A memo from the Joint Staff highlighted that China and Russia have no WPS equivalent, suggesting it can help counter China by accessing populations they ignore.
• 📈 The program is also credited with preventing radicalization by violent extremist organizations and disrupting the smuggling of narcotics, weapons, and humans.
• 🤝 Officials from every combatant command and military component concurred with the Joint Chiefs' recommendation on the strategic advantage of WPS.

Importance of Tools for Nominees

• 💬 Shaheen questioned nominees on the necessity of all available tools to counter violent extremism and gather human intelligence.
• 🌍 Nominees acknowledged the importance of a "whole of government" approach and the value of inter-agency partnerships, implicitly supporting the need for programs like WPS.
• ✈️ The need to understand the "human terrain" before taking strikes, even on targets like Houthi positions, was also affirmed by nominees.