Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Overview

How CISA’s curriculum addresses WPS

The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) initiative is an important element to professional military education and CISA strives to integrate a gendered perspective into its curriculum. In December 2024, the Secretary of Defense signed the U.S. Department of Defense Women, Peace, and Security Implementation plan. 

Annually, NDU hosts its Women, Peace, and Security essay contest, which seeks student submissions that reflect research with a gendered understanding, perspective and/or approach to advance peace, national security, economic and social development, and/or international cooperation. All essays are catalogued at the NDU Library and available upon request.

Over the years, CISA has contributed to a variety of scholarship on WPS. In 2022, CISA’s curriculum review team identified the need for a closer appreciation of WPS global principles and the U.S. WPS Strategy throughout CISA curriculum. Among other initiatives, CISA’s new Curriculum Action Group will incorporate a gender analysis of course syllabi: for example, recommending inclusion of women authors or case studies involving women in conflict prevention. 

CISA hosted a virtual talk with Dr. Joan Johnson-Freese, titled "The Women, Peace & Security Imperative for Security Practitioners.” Dr. Johnson-Freese is a Professor Emeritus, National Security Affairs, Naval War College and expert in Women, Peace, and Security. View the recording of the talk below: