Deploying Feminism: The Role of Gender in NATO Military Operations

Abstract

Deploying Feminism tells the story of how the military has been delegated authority to advance gender equality while tackling increasingly complex threats. NATO, the world’s foremost alliance, has embedded these ideas in the planning and execution of its missions. Indeed, Women, Peace and Security norms are being integrated into military processes but not necessarily as intended. Armed forces value one thing above all else: operational effectiveness. They are trained to stay focused on mission objectives and lines of efforts. For troops deployed on NATO missions, this often means seeking out women in their operating area to improve intelligence gathering activities. This helps the mission, surely, but are the women better off? Through military implementation, the focus on gender equality fades, leading to a consistent distortion of Women, Peace and Security norms. Based on fieldwork in Iraq, Kosovo, and the Baltics, this book details why and how these norms are militarized and put at the service of NATO’s operational effectiveness.