Lioness Blog

The Congressional Research Service recently published a report on women in combat and issues regarding the Department of Defense's combat exclusion policy.

The nonpartisan report is intended to aid Congress in its consideration of a forthcoming review by DOD of the roles military women should have in the future.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42075.pdf

We are thrilled to announce that our film will be rebroadcast on Independent Lens as part of the series' 2011-12 season. The rebroadcast is part of ITVS' new Women and Girls Lead, a multiyear public media initiative aimed at educating and supporting citizens about issues facing women and girls.

The film is scheduled to air on Thursday December 15, 2011. Check local listings for more details.

www.pbs.org/independentlens

www.itvs.org/women-and-girls-lead

Yesterday, a Pentagon commission established to study diversity among military leaders recommended that the Department of Defense eliminate policies excluding women from combat, as well as other "barriers and inconsistencies," to create a level playing field so that women can advance in the military. As Retired Gen. Lester Lyles, chair of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission (MLDC) noted, "we know that the exclusion hinders women from promotion; we want to take away all the hindrances and cultural biases."

For more information, click below:

http://mldc.whs.mil/index.php/final-report

A Pentagon commission is calling for a gradual end to the ban on women in combat as discriminatory and obsolete. The Military Leadership Diversity Commission draft report said current combat exclusion policies do not reflect the realities of contemporary warfare and keep women out of key assignments that lead to career advancement.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41083172/ns/us_news-life/

On November 11th, LIONESS was screened as the opening night event of the 2010 Literature & Medicine Conference in Washington, DC. Presented by the Maine Humanities Council, the innovative, 3-day conference brings together healthcare professionals who work with veterans and others who have experienced trauma.

LIONESS screened at the VA's July 29th Forum on Women Veterans at the Women's Memorial in Arlington, VA, a one-day event which is part of VA's efforts to continually enhance and promote services for today's female veterans' community. Speaking to a capacity crowd, Secretary Shinseki said, "Over time, changes in warfighting doctrine dictate changes about where women serve within the battlespace and the kinds of mission they are handed...So it becomes the VA's challenge to anticipate those changes."

Secretary Shinseki speaks with BrigGen Wilma Vaught (ret.), President of WIMSA, Dr. Betty Moseley Brown, Associate Director of the Center for Women Veterans, and Dr. Irene Trowell-Harris, Director of the Center for Women Veterans.