July 30, 2018
Pentagon Gender Gap Persists in Trump Era Even as Women Rise in Industry
At the Defense Department, 46 out of 52 positions confirmed or awaiting confirmation went to men
When Kathy Warden takes over as CEO of Northrop Grumman in January, women will run three of the primes, as the largest American defense firms are known.
Warden joins Marillyn Hewson at Lockheed Martin and Phebe Novakovic at General Dynamics as CEOs, while executive vice president Leanne Caret heads Boeing’s defense business.
Their rise coincides with a sharp uptick in women in influential security-related positions on Capitol Hill.
Texas Republican Kay Granger holds the gavel of the powerful House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, joining an elite club that has until now been open only to men. Meanwhile, women from both parties on the Senate Armed Services Committee have pushed into law dozens of new policies and regulations aimed at changing the military’s male-dominated culture.
However, the ascension to the top ranks of the boardroom and plum security committee assignments on Capitol Hill has not been matched in other parts of the defense apparatus. There has never been a female Defense secretary. There has never been a female member of the joint chiefs of staff.
What accounts for this discrepancy? While there are various theories, no single explanation seems to suffice.
Read the Full Article at Roll Call
More from CNAS
-
National Security Has a Human Capital Problem and There’s No Fast Way Out
Podcast
National security doesn’t really exist without the military forces and supporting civilians to carry it out. Recruitment remains a problem for the armed forces. And there’s a ...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
The Department of Defense’s Breakthrough Nuclear Moment Risks Slipping Away
Commentary
Unless they act, the Department of Defense’s breakthrough nuclear moment may vanish before it really happens....
By Will Rogers
-
Sharper: National Security Human Capital
Commentary
U.S. national security depends on the nation’s ability to leverage the expertise of uniformed warfighters and the highly skilled civilian professionals who develop and impleme...
By Charles Horn & Taren Sylvester
-
Hegseth Brings the Culture War to Combat
Commentary
The fundamental challenge of military leadership lies in creating cohesive teams that can work together in an environment of mortal risk and, when called upon to do so, use le...
By Dr. Jason Dempsey
