The Department of Defense

Abstract

This chapter is one of three which examines a key U.S. department or agency which played a fundamental role in an 'all-of-government' approach to countering terrorism. The Department of Defense engages most visibly in direct action and is the US agency most often associated with counterterrorism-specific and broader security efforts abroad. This chapter considers women first as U.S. security actors in Iraq in units such as Team Lioness, and discusses controversy around women. Women in relation to counterinsurgency stabilization efforts counterterrorism and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security are discussed, as are specific initiatives such as Human Terrain Systems Provincial Reconstruction Teams Female Engagement Teams and Cultural Support Teams. Second, it examines female security personnel the U.S. trained, equipped and otherwise supported in Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally, it considers women's militant roles in al-Qaeda and ISIS to consider if or how these impacted on defense efforts.