The Department of Defense is proud to support President Biden's Summits for Democracy through programs that bolster democratic norms and further the professionalism of military and security forces in partner nations.
As Secretary of Defense Austin has said, we look forward to "a brighter future in an even stronger rules-based international order," because that "means more security, more stability, more prosperity, more resilience and more openness."
Security cooperation remains a critical component of our effort to strengthen relationships with partners and allies, and we foster that cooperation with a keen eye on respect for human rights, democratic values, and respect for civilian authority.
We will continue to prioritize institutional capacity building activities that demonstrate partner's support of democratic institutions and anticorruption. We will also continue to help advance healthy civil-military relations in partner nations and strengthen civilian leadership across multiple institutional functional areas.
Recognizing the significant leadership demonstrated by women in national security the Department significantly contributes to the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act of 2017, USG WPS Strategy, and National Strategy for Gender Equity and Equality. Our WPS programs advance opportunities for women in partner nation security sectors, address sexual harassment and abuse, and protect women and girls during conflict and crisis.
In support of the Department's WPS objectives and Summit themes, we are improving the training and education of our security cooperation workforce, standardizing the Department's analytical tools to include gender analysis for incorporation of gender and human security considerations into planning and execution, and taking advantage of best practices in assessment, monitoring, and evaluation.
