Together, We Are All Capable

Female U.S. Army advisors assigned to 1st and 54th Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFAB) participated in a women’s empowerment event at the Colombian Noncommissioned Officer Academy in Tolemaida, Colombia, January 23-24, 2023.
The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about the importance of and some of the issues facing women in both the United States and Colombian militaries.
“Women play a significant role in maintaining peace and security in Colombia. Colombia is trying every day to contribute more to peace and security with women. This year the first female privates were incorporated. With this, there are now women at all levels of the Army increasing their participation in all areas,” said Colombian Army Captain Zuly Lugo.
Women in Colombia can currently serve in all branches of the military and are involved in a variety of roles, ranging from combat positions to administrative and support roles.
Restrictions on combat jobs were lifted from women in the U.S. Army in 2016, and the world is beginning to better understand how important the inclusion of women is in all aspects of military operations.
Women’s empowerment events can serve to strengthen women’s inclusion in the military by promoting equality, helping women build networks, and fostering an environment to inspire others for positive change.
“Women’s engagements are essential because it shows that men and women can work together and respect each other regardless of a different gender,” said U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Heather Planatscher, assigned to 3rd Squadron, 1st SFAB, and an event participant.
“In order for a country’s entire organization to make effective change, it helps to see someone as the positive example first. There’s trust and partnership with the [United States] and [Colombia], so, it’s best to be that example and continue making ourselves the partner of choice to Latin American militaries,” echoed U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Tatiana Jairala, another participant assigned to 54th SFAB.
A five-female U.S. Army advisor team toured the Noncommissioned Officer Academy, visiting various classrooms to exchange experiences as females in the military with the academy’s military students.
The following day they met with Colombian soldiers in the field to discuss their experiences.
“It will undoubtedly help connect our militaries because what better way to understand another soldier than to have been that soldier [living] through the changes themselves. True empathy can be given to women of militaries going through the integration process having done so ourselves,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jairala.
“While those female soldiers may not remember our names or faces, they will remember the day they were in training and a group of female soldiers from the U.S. Army told them, and showed them, that they are just as capable of serving in the Armed Forces as anybody else,” added U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Yalani Castro, another event participant.
All these women serve in a security force assistance brigade, a purpose-built formation designed to integrate with a partner security force. They advise, assist, liaise, and assess their partners in an effort to improve partner force capacity and capability and make the two countries more interoperable.
The 1st and 54th SFAB currently provide military advisors to a variety of countries in Latin America.
“Events like this can make tremendous headway in building relationships and connections with militaries in which the U.S. employs military advisors,” said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert Anspaugh, commander of 4th Battalion, 54th SFAB, who is currently employed in Bogotá, Colombia.
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) also recognizes the importance of women in the military and established the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) program.
The WPS recognizes the diverse roles women play as agents of change in preventing and resolving conflict, countering terrorism and violent extremism as well as building post-conflict peace and stability in our Hemisphere.
All these efforts fall under a larger framework and implementation plan from the U.S. Department of Defense and State Department to advocate for women’s issues and increase their presence in both peace and security needs.
“At SOUTHCOM, we are committed to integrating gender perspectives into all our activities, and we encourage our partners to create structural changes in their militaries to allow for the same through our WPS program,” said U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, SOUTHCOM commander.
SFAB advisors in Latin America hope to continue their work in the future to not only build relationships and connect with their security force counterparts but to also serve as important examples that through programs like WPS, we can improve our readiness for the world’s challenges.