Interested in all things defence? Take a peek inside our

Monthly Members' Newsletter

Welcome to the Defence Research Network Newsletter!

Hello and welcome to our latest monthly newsletter! March marks a month of celebration and reflection as we honour the achievements and contributions of women worldwide. At the Defence Research Network, we are proud to dedicate this month's edition to International Women's Day, a time to recognize the remarkable women who inspire us and drive positive change in our lives and communities.

Thank you to Veronika and Hannah for their leadership in curating this month's theme. We hope you enjoy reading the reflections shared by some of our committee members on inspiring women who have influenced their work and lives. We invite you to take a moment to reflect on your own encounters with inspiring women and the  impact they might have had on shaping your journey.

Additionally, we are excited to present a range of events and opportunities for you to engage with throughout the month. Whether it's participating in discussions, attending seminars, or joining initiatives, there are numerous ways for you to contribute to the celebration of women's achievements and advancement as well as the wider defence community.

It was wonderful to witness the vibrant interaction during this month's Twitter Hour, where members shared their thoughts, experiences, and advice on empowering women in the field of defence research. Thank you to all who participated and contributed to the enriching dialogue.

In our research spotlight, we shine a light on a series of PhD researchers and members of an informal forum with the Female Veterans' Transformation Programme. Their research delves into the experiences of female veterans, gendered cultures, and the role of servicewomen, offering valuable insights into an often overlooked aspect of military studies. We are confident that their work will captivate and inspire you as it has us.

As always, we welcome your contributions to our newsletter. Your insights, experiences, and perspectives enrich our community and drive meaningful conversations forward. We encourage you to share your thoughts, research, and achievements with us, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment for all.

As we celebrate International Women's Day and the remarkable women who shape our world, let us continue to champion gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in defence research and beyond!

Stay cool,

Tegan Watt Harrison 
Newsletter Editor
Defence Research Network

New Programme seeks to shape the future for Female Veterans

53% of female veterans feel their needs are not adequately met by current veteran services
Less than 31% of women who have served identify as ‘a veteran’.
 
“Research over the last 5 years into the experiences of female veterans has provided real and valuable insight into the specific, yet varied, issues these women face. The Female Veterans Transformation Project will build on that research to co-produce a Toolkit to provide targeted assistance and information to the community, and to inform and guide the statutory, commercial and charity sectors.”   
 
- Colonel (Retd) Alison Brown OBE, Chair of the Cobseo Female Veterans’ Cluster Group
 
The Female Veterans’ Transformation Programme launched on International Women's Day will produce a toolkit for use by service providers in the commercial, statutory and charitable sectors, helping transform service provision for female veterans - the 250,000 (1) strong group whose specific needs are not being addressed by current service provision (2). The toolkit could take the form of a digital resource, awareness-raising resources, or an interactive app.
 
The Programme will align with this Spring’s first ever Women Veterans’ Strategy from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs. The 3-year, UK-wide programme is funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and NHS England, in partnership with the Cobseo (3) Female Veterans Cluster and the Women’s Royal Army Corps Association. “The programme aims to build a legacy where female veterans feel confident to access the right support, at the right time, and in the right way for them,” explains Colonel (Retd) Alison Brown OBE, Chair of the Cobseo Female Veterans’ Cluster Group.
 
The Programme also uses the results of an Evidence Review, published today, which includes findings from research across the UK veterans sector (commercial, statutory and charity). Its Statement of Need provides a succinct and visual representation of female veterans’ needs, such as support on employment and finance, access to services, bullying and discrimination. As reported recently, only 2% of veterans research globally focuses on female veterans, who are also two-and-a-half times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than civilian women. 
 
WOMEN WHO SERVED ARE VETERANS. HOW CAN THEY GET INVOLVED?

The Programme is now in a co-production phase, reaching out to female veterans and stakeholders across the country via an online questionnaire, which will be followed by workshops (face-to-face and virtual). “We would love to work with everyone from female veterans to the employers of female veterans, from large national charities (whether for veterans or not) to small businesses run by female veterans, in order to help shape the toolkit into a practical and transformational resource,” shares Liza Jarvis, Programme Lead.

She adds, “We understand that many women who have served do not identify with the term ‘veteran’ so we are making a big effort to reach invisible veterans who may not realise the support they are entitled to, or feel comfortable accessing it. From sports teams to faith groups, from parents to pensioners, we would like to work with you to make sure the toolkit we produce has the widest possible applicability.  If you are interested in being involved and working with us, please email us at liza.jarvis@fvtp.org.uk or follow us on Twitter and connect via LinkedIn to find out how to get involved.”
 
Hannah West, Communications and Engagement Officer for the Programme, a veteran herself, said, “Previously, I did not feel comfortable with the label ‘veteran’, but through my work on this Programme, I recently asked my GP to record my veteran status. I hope the Programme will encourage others to do the same, whether they see themselves as a veteran or not, to make sure they are accessing the best support for them.”  

References
(1) 251,400 United Kingdom (UK) Armed Forces veterans in England and Wales are women, approximately 13.6% of the total veteran population. Claire Hooks, Louise Morgan, Matt Fossey, Ellie Buxton and Lauren Godier-McBard, ‘Where are all the Women?’: Recognition and representation - UK female veterans’ experiences of support in civilian life (Chelmsford: Anglia Ruskin University, 2023),  7.
(2) 53% of female veterans do not feel their needs are being met by veteran services.  House of Commons Defence Committee, Protecting those who protect us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life (London: HM Government, 2021) 74.
(3)  Cobseo is a Confederation of Service Charities, https://www.cobseo.org.uk/

Victoria Sutch

Vicky is a post-graduate researcher with Politics and International Relations at Cardiff University, focussing on Critical Military Studies. Her background is in English Literature, working with military memoirs and novels. This work led her to research within the veteran community and their lived experiences. Her primary drive is to help the stories of women veterans be heard, and to take centre stage in the research.

Vicky's research utilises a mixture of methods, ranging from unstructured interviews, semi-structured group interviews, and semi-structured clay workshop interviews. These options allow for the participants to decide what they feel comfortable doing whilst sharing their stories. This allows space for the women’s experiences to be shared and recorded, providing a dataset that can then be explored using discourse analysis. Findings will be analysed through the lens of Gender Performativity and Feminine Masculinity. These concepts from Queer Theory will hopefully shed light on what women veteran’s experience when reintegrating into western societal norms.

She can be contacted by email (sutchvl@cardiff.ac.uk) and would especially like to hear from anyone interested in participating in her research (see the opportunities section of the newsletter). 

Amy Hill
 

Having recently left the Royal Air Force and directly experienced the gender culture of the UK Armed Forces, Amy’s research will examine how gender and the other multitude of conflicting intersectional identities of military personnel impact the social construction and speciality of the RAF. By examining the experiences of female personnel with an intersectional perspective and a gendered lens, underpinned with reflexivity through her position as an RAF Veteran, her research will aim to examine how the negotiation and marginalisation of gendered and racialised impact the social construction and RAF culture.

Amy's research will use data captured from semi-structured interviews with female veterans and current serving personnel, analysed alongside information on labor distribution captured from MoD statistics.

Amy is at Newcastle University and can be contacted by email: a.hill14@newcastle.ac.uk.

• Phase 1: Exploratory, constructivist grounded theory, 1-2-1 interviews with serving women (and those who have signed off) in the ranks of Lt Col, Maj, Capt, Cpl, LCpl and Pte. These ranks have been identified in quantitative analysis as the ranks where most women are lost from the service.
• Phase 2: Explanatory, census survey, Women’s Recruitment and Retention 2025 Survey, launch on 8 March 2025 - International Women’s Day. Building upon Phase 1 research findings and testing to a large audience for statistical significance and organisation benefit and application.

• Historical context - A Celebration of achievement by individual or collective females in all walks of life throughout history. For me personally, to share the lesser known stories of determination and courage (female military service) over the past 100+ years.
• I think it’s a great idea - a special day to celebrate all the women, their achievements as well as struggles.
• I found this an interesting recent article reflecting on how different cultures celebrate IWD: Happy International Women’s Day: a look back at over a century of the global fight for justice and equality | Global development | The Guardian
  • In fact, I think this was the original article I was looking for, although both have reflections that made me think: I’ve travelled the world researching patriarchy – and found it is far from inevitable | International Women's Day | The Guardian

• Laleh Khalili’s work on gendered aspects of counterinsurgency has been very inspiring especially when I was delivering seminars on gender and security. Reading Khalili also led me to so many other scholars who were essential in my reading lists.
• I'm inspired by @DrHelenKara and @dawnmannay for the plethora of outstanding works they've produced on all things creative research methods! Throughout my doctoral research, their work has really shaped and developed my thinking. As a collection, it is accessible, engaging and thoughtful, as well as striking the perfect balance between theory and practice. @DrHelenKara also founded the #ICRMC and this year, @dawnmannay will be one of the keynotes! 
• Martha Crenshaw - when I first got into my field of study, it was Crenshaw’s works that inspired me, her groundbreaking research (from decades ago) is still being read now, which shows how much impact she has had.
• I know I'm not alone in being in awe of @REWacad for her energy, enthusiasm and determination to champion early career researchers. She and @AliceCree have given me such wise counsel as the most fantastic and inspiring mentors, thanks both.
• I continue to be inspired by my conversations with the brilliant @DrSophyAntrobus
  too and feel so lucky that our paths crossed during our PhDs.
• @ingajkennedy Watching her operate in Afghanistan in her staff role with so many different pressures from different agencies all wanting something else from her. Cool under pressure, balanced in her decision making. Learned an awful lot from her.
• Well: @LMG12237, @Cookie2148, @Dragoon433, @DHirdLWC, @CSM_UKSTRATCOM, @NatashaMDay, @DawnieC_RAF, @ASN_CoChair, @Inspectorate_SM, @AliBooker_RD to name a few!
• Yes, both @DrSophyAntrobus & @hannah_r_west as fellow ex servicewoman and academics, in all lectures, papers I have read, I am in agreement with their arguments, much material to plug into my research @DrAEFox too, can’t describe in tweets, but all 3 are influential to me.
• Janet Nelson - Wikipedia Brilliant tutor! Dame Janet Laughland Nelson DBE FRHistS FBA (born 1942), also known as Jinty Nelson, is a British historian. She is Emerita Professor of Medieval History at King's College London.
• I think you deserve a mention here @J_White692 as a US veteran turned academic with @Rusi_Terrorism.. lots of energy despite the many time zones, expertise in different fields of terrorism & also gender, and able to talk about it all in an accessible way!
• Dr Jacqueline Reiter - without her I wouldn't be a writer and I wouldn't be doing a PhD.

• I’ll focus on one challenge - that sometimes, (some - I should add, as I don’t want to generalise) women tend to underestimate themselves (imposter syndrome), and then lose out on opportunities. My advice is: believe in yourself, and promote and advocate for yourself. Also, surround yourself with supportive people (I consider myself v. lucky as there are several people in my prof. life whom I consider my mentors who guide and support me).
• I have learnt that reaching out and building networks and friendships, is a great way to feel more confident and to support each other in developing and sharing your work. Co-authoring and co-convening is more fun too in my book!

• Ah, I touched upon that in my previous answer - don’t be afraid, be confident, believe in yourselves and promote yourselves (e.g. on social media).
• If you have a conference/event coming up, reach out to someone you don't know that is attending (whether senior and you've read/cited their work or a peer you haven't met). Even if it feels uncomfortable to click send, it could be the start of something or just a nice chat!
• Remain focused on YOUR goals. Don’t be deterred. Remember you ARE capable and you have a seat at the table - regardless of gender. Be respectful but do not be walked over. Focus on the positives. Remember - you don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to

Project: The Changing Nature of Gender and Warfare: Conflict-related Sexual Violence by Semi-state Armed Groups (GSS-24004)

Lead supervisor: Dr Jasmine Westendorf

Other supervisors: Dr Maria Elander (LTU), Dr Matthew Hurley (SHU), Dr Mitxy Mabel Meneses Gutierrez (SHU)

This PhD explores the changing nature of gender and warfare/militarism by investigating the use of sexual violence by semi-sate actors in contemporary military conflict, and the capacity of existing legal/policy frameworks and accountability mechanisms to address the commission and consequences of such violence. Although there are well-established scholarly literatures and policy frameworks responding to the forms and functions of sexual violence in contemporary conflict and the challenges to pursuing accountability or reparations (both legal and otherwise) for it, the emergence of semi-state military actors such as the Wagner Group presents a challenge, both conceptually and practically, to these scholarly, legal and policy efforts. Wagner Group, for instance, differs markedly from other security actors: neither a state or a non-state/private actor, it is a semi-state military group active in Syria, several countries in Africa and more recently, Ukraine, as a vehicle of Russian state interests but also operating in ways that pursue independent wealth and influence generation for members of the group. It has been found to have engaged extensively in sexual violence as both a practice and strategy of war, against opponent militaries, civilians, and – at least in Ukraine - their own recruits. Moreover, Wagner’s role in a range of contemporary conflicts has intersected with increasingly coordinated mis/disinformation campaigns by Russia and aligned actors globally, many of which rely on specific constructions of gender and sexualities and further challenge the established strategies of dealing with and resolving such conflicts, and which have challenged the established strategies of dealing with and resolving such conflicts. This PhD will make a critical contribution to understanding the scale, form and effects of semi-state armed groups' use of sexual violence, engaging in a mix of open-source data collection and field research with relevant policymakers. The exact focus of the thesis will be determined in collaboration between supervisors and successful candidate, we welcome your ideas in your project proposal. Applicants with a background in politics and international relations, gender studies, international law or cognate field are preferred.

Further information: La Trobe University – Sheffield Hallam University Global Security and Society Institute Joint PhD Scholarships, Study with us, Scholarships, Other Scholarship opportunities, La Trobe University