Hume Seminar Series: Women, Peace, & Security (WPS) in US Security Cooperation

About the Event:

Drawing on real-world case studies—from post–World War II Japan to Afghanistan and contemporary Ghana—this event will discuss how integrating women into security cooperation efforts has shaped U.S. military operations, strengthened international security partnerships, and influenced civil-military relations and human rights outcomes.

Explore the origins, rationale, and evolution of WPS initiatives in U.S. security policy, including competing theories that have driven policy debates and insider perspectives from practitioners in the field. Students interested in national security, defense policy, international relations, and gender and security studies will gain insight into how policy frameworks translate into operational practice and the strategic implications of inclusive security cooperation.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Susan Yoshihara is founder and president of American Council on Women Peace and Security, a non-partisan, nonprofit think tank in the nation’s capital.

Dr. Yoshihara participated in UN negotiations on development, security, and human rights from 2006-2020 as part of civil society, serving on the Holy See delegation during the Commission on Population and Development, and advising the UN Security Council at its Open Debate on Children Affected by Armed Conflict.

She served twenty years as a U.S. Naval Aviator, leading helicopter combat logistics missions in the Gulf War and humanitarian assistance and search and rescue missions in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. She was on the faculty at the U.S. Naval War College and the board of directors of the White House Fellows Alumni Association and Foundation.

Dr. Yoshihara holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, M.F.A. in creative writing from Antioch University, Los Angeles, M.A. in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School, and B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy.