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SPEECH | March 14, 2016

Adm. Tidd remarks at Women in Peace & Security Seminar

Prepared Remarks of Adm. Kurt W. Tidd

Inter-American Defense College Women in Peace & Security Seminar 

March 11, 2016


Good afternoon…buenas tardes. I’d like to thank RADM Martha Herb for the invitation to participate in this wonderful seminar.  I only wish my schedule had permitted me to participate in the entire week.

I’m going to keep my comments brief, because I’d like to hear your thoughts on the issues you’ve been discussing these past five days. 

Let me begin by saying a few words on the importance of gender integration from the US military’s point of view. First, a bit of historical context.

In 1974, I entered our Navy as a Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy.  Two years later, the first women entered the Academy with the Class of 1980.  The most diplomatic thing that can be said is that we did a very poor job with the transition.

In 1997, a destroyer under my command integrated women into the Wardroom, Chief Petty Officers' Mess, and Crews' Mess.  By then, women were eligible to serve aboard most ship types in our Navy.  But they were not yet fully accepted.

Fast forward to 2001; our nation found itself at war, and that war has lasted over a decade and a half.  Something happened during that time.  We discovered in the crucible of combat that honor, integrity and gallantry can not be binned into neat, preconceived boxes.  Success in combat demands that we draw from all facets of society; our military finds that effective leaders come in all shapes, sizes AND genders.

I was working in the Pentagon when our Secretary of Defense was wrestling with this issue, so I had a front seat to some of the discussions our leaders had on this important topic.

At the tactical level, we opened up all military occupations and positions to women for two reasons: because it's the right thing to do ... and maybe even more importantly, it's clearly the smart thing to do.

From an institutional perspective, having a diverse leadership team in the Department of Defense, made up of empowered women and men, means diverse solutions and alternate perspectives that lead to better decision making. At the tactical level, we decided to open up all military occupations and positions to women for two reasons: because it’s the right thing to do…and the smart thing to do.

Like any military in a civilian-led democracy, the US military takes a lot of pride in being a meritocracy—where those who serve are not judged by where they came from, or what their last name is, or who their parents are…but instead by what they have to offer to help defend our country. By denying women full access to positions in our military, we were denying the very tenets our democracy was founded on…the principles of equality and diversity that are so important to all of us.

But this decision was also born of necessity: to be the best force we can possibly be, we need to draw strength from the broadest possible pool of talent. This includes women, who make up more than 50% of our population—a statistic that I’m sure is reflective of the realities in your countries, as well.  As Secretary Carter noted when he announced his decision, given the range of challenges we face across the world, we can no longer afford to cut ourselves off from half our country’s talents and skills.

The truth is, for us, the issue of women in combat wasn’t really a question anymore. Women served, fought, and sacrificed alongside their male counterparts in the past decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have shed their blood, killed their enemies, and wept over lost comrades, JUST EXACTLY LIKE THEIR BROTHERS IN ARMS.

Secretary Carter’s decision only made it official, and in doing so, allows us to harness ALL the skills and talents women have to offer.

On a personal note, I’ve found that women bring unique perspectives and strengths that are assets to any mission. In many ways, women are much better than men at difficult tasks like conflict resolution and prevention, peacebuilding and consensus building. Women can arrive at alternate solutions and indirect approaches that their male counterparts might never consider, presenting adversaries with completely unexpected and thus unplanned-for conundrums.

When opposed by societies that refuse to admit that women might add valuable contributions to any plan, we must consider that a military force that captures the full range of talents found in its society, that military force just might possess the ultimate asymmetric advantage.

We in the US military still have a long way to go and a lot to work out, but I have to believe that we're on the right path.  And so are many of you ... Latin America and the Caribbean are proven leaders when it comes to gender integration in peacekeeping missions.

Seminars like this help us all think through these complex issues and identify opportunities to incorporate gender perspectives into our peace and security policies.  I think we have a lot to learn from one another.  I know I have much to learn from you. 

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