Deep Dive Recap: Gender perspectives in Education, Training, Exercises and Evaluation and Professional Military Education

On the 15th of January, the Office of the Gender Advisor (GENAD) convened its first Deep Dive of the year, on the topic of Gender Perspectives and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in Education, Training, Exercises and Evaluation (ETEE) and Professional Military Education (PME).

The panel featured Dr. Vanessa Brown, Assistant Professor in the Department of Defence Studies at the Canadian Forces College; Dr. Aleksandar Grizhev, Associate Professor and Head of Department for Social Sciences and Humanities at General Mihailo Apostolski Military Academy, Skopje; Ms. Lucia Rovnakova, ETEE Staff Officer in the GENAD Office at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE); and Major Linda Johansson, Officer in Command of the Capability and Cooperation Department, at the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations (NCGM).

Dr. Vanessa Brown opened with Canada's approach to gender mainstreaming in PME, highlighting how Canada's Gender-based Analysis Plus tool exposes different risks according to age, gender, ethnicity and other cross-cutting identities. Dr. Brown expressed that to meet security needs of diverse people, the military requires equity in PME. Integrating gender and intersectional perspectives in PME means personnel learn about inclusive security as well as equity in choices about military infrastructure, systems, and cultures. Inequities faced by women and diverse personnel, like inadequate bathrooms and facilities, limited cultural and symbolic inclusion, and low demographic representation are often echoed in PME. Efforts to address inequities and mainstream gender in curriculum, pedagogy and the learning environment are needed, as failing to do so can lead to operational risks and barriers to recruitment and retention - a key issue across the Alliance.

Dr. Grizhev presented North Macedonia's gender-based PME. He explained how, in order to build engagement with gender perspectives in military operations, it is important to show practically how gender perspectives reduce operational risk and blind spots, improve trust and access to the population, and increase effectiveness through better decision-making. Proper education and training on gender perspectives is vitally important; he explained that "if it is not trained and assessed, then it will not show up in operations". A key element of WPS implementation is increasing participation. Dr. Grizhev shared that women make up 30-40% of cadets and students in North Macedonian PME programmes. When given the opportunity, these students excel; in 2025 the top three graduating cadets from General Mihailo Apostolski Military Academy were women.

Ms. Lucia Rovnakova explained the role that ETEE plays within NATO. The SHAPE GENAD Office represents the Requirements Authority on the Gender in Military Operations (GMO) Discipline. Ms. Rovnakova explained that their role is to identify training requirements to enable NATO personnel to carry out their roles fully. The 2024 NATO WPS Policy mandates that all staff at all levels should be educated on WPS and gender perspectives. A challenge is that Allies and Partners often have their own, varying, approaches to this topic and so there exist different levels of awareness and education. Ms. Rovnakova explained that the purpose of the NATO training system is therefore to train 'over and above' the national requirements. This is important to promote interoperability among NATO Allies and Partners.

As the Department Head of the GMO Discipline for NATO, the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations works closely with the Requirements Authority to develop training solutions. Major Johannson outlined the current training options, including online courses, in-person courses, and tailored training solutions. Major Johansson explained that online courses can be an effective tool to easily reach a broad audience. She also explained how the centre works with NATO Centres of Excellence to mainstream gender perspectives into all training, rather than as a standalone topic. Finally, Major Johansson emphasised the importance of an inclusive classroom atmosphere, noting that resistance to integrating gender perspectives often comes from a place of ignorance rather than opposition. She explained that engaging with this can be a learning experience for both the student and the teacher.

ETEE and PME are an essential part of force development and ensuring that Allies have the personnel they need to meet the full range of security tasks. Mainstreaming gender perspectives within ETEE and PME can help promote recruitment and retention, improve interoperability, and enhance operational effectiveness.