Articles & Multimedia
Showing 1-20 of 37 Publications
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Vanessa Guillen's Killing Gives Way to Claims of Sexual Harassment, Abuse in the Military, and Hope for Change
Video
The disappearance of 20-year-old soldier Vanessa Guillén began badly and ended horribly worse. The private first class vanished on an April Sunday, in broad daylight, from For...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Veterans’ Access to Reproductive Healthcare: Enhance Equity Now
Congressional Testimony
Submitted Written Testimony Chairwoman Brownley, Ranking Member Dunn, distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss a topic I believe is of ...
By Kayla M. Williams
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The deafening silence of veteran service organizations on Black Lives Matter
There is a myth in the U.S. military that once you put on the uniform, “We all bleed green.” That is to say, no matter where you’re from or what your background is, as long as...
By Kayla M. Williams & Lindsay Church
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VA hospitals still an excellent choice for veterans
Commentary
As the first anniversary of MISSION Act implementation approaches, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in an entirely unexpected position. While the MISSION Act of 2018...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Kayla M. Williams Appears on DODReads Podcast
Podcast
In Episode 6 former Army Arabic Linguist Kayla Williams of the Center for a New American Security talks women in war, her own writing, and how to stay connected to service aft...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Plenty of Time When We Get Home with Kayla Williams
In this episode of Incoming, author and Army veteran Kayla Williams talks with us about serving in Iraq as the most forward-deployed woman of the war at her time. She faced br...
By Kayla M. Williams
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VA must improve access to high-quality care for transgender veterans
Commentary
Nearly two years ago, I argued that then-incoming VA Secretary Robert Wilkie should expand care to transgender veterans, removing the exclusion of gender confirmation surgery ...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Coronavirus pandemic illustrates the need to maintain a strong VA
Commentary
Schools, offices, and other businesses are shutting down nationwide as the United States ramps up its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we read about the extreme strain pl...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Boosting VA funding is not enough to support veterans
Commentary
Trump’s proposed 2021 budget includes another significant increase for the Department of Veterans Affairs: a 13 percent increase to $90 billion for medical services, another $...
By Kayla M. Williams
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The VA has some serious problems with how it handles claims of military sexual trauma
Commentary
Imagine going to your doctor’s office for care. You walk in and go to the front desk to check in. But the front desk staff tells you that you can’t get care there. You’re not ...
By Kayla M. Williams & Samantha Kubek
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Episode 7: Kayla Williams
Podcast
This podcast from Military Times examines the alarming rate of military and veterans suicide, offering new insights based on research and effective clinical and peer support p...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Conclusions from CNAS’ New York State Minority Veterans Needs Assessment
Congressional Testimony
Submitted Written Testimony Despite criticisms VA is an excellent source of health care, boasting low wait times, high quality, cultural competence, and low cost for many vete...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Grappling With the Costs of Combat
Podcast
Kayla Williams joins Ilan Goldenberg to discuss her time serving as an Arabic linguist in the U.S. Army and the human costs of armed conflict....
By Ilan Goldenberg & Kayla M. Williams
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Supporting Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma: VA Must Redouble Efforts to Improve
Congressional Testimony
Submitted Written Testimony I. Overall Chairman Pappas, Ranking Member Bergman, distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss a topic I beli...
By Kayla M. Williams
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DOD should not allow promotion of religion on branded dog tags
Commentary
The headline immediately caught my eye: “Anti-religion group seeks to deny troops inspirational dog tags.” It’s a shocking claim and seemed unbelievable — open religiosity was...
By Kayla M. Williams
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VA leader must demonstrate commitment to ending harassment
Commentary
Last week, news outlets reported Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie sent a letter to Rep. Mark Takano (D. Calif.), Chairman of the House Committee on ...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Stories from the Backchannel: Season Two Trailer
Podcast
Now more than ever, Americans are interested in the people working behind the scenes on consequential national security decisions. In Season Two of Stories from the Backchanne...
By Ilan Goldenberg, Richard Fontaine, Susanna V. Blume, Kayla M. Williams, Price B. Floyd, Kurt Campbell & Kara Frederick
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CNAS: Bold Ideas for National Security
Video
This year, CNAS experts brought bold ideas and bipartisan cooperation to the national security conversation. In 2020, the CNAS team will continue tackling the biggest security...
By Susanna V. Blume, Kara Frederick, Kayla M. Williams, Loren DeJonge Schulman, Richard Fontaine, Kristine Lee, Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Ely Ratner, Paul Scharre, Elizabeth Rosenberg & Carrie Cordero
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Increasing Diversity in the Military: Recruiting and Retaining Talented Women
I. Boots-on-the-Ground Assessment Chairwoman Speier, Ranking Member Kelly, distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss a topic I believe i...
By Kayla M. Williams
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Mental health care isn’t one-and-done — like any journey, you have to commit
Commentary
The "suck it up and drive on" mentality permeated our years in the U.S. military and often led us to delay getting both physical and mental health care. As veterans, we now un...
By Kayla M. Williams & Kyleanne Hunter
