In August 2017, Our Secure Future: Women Make the Difference and Peace is Loud convened the first Women, Peace and Security Curriculum Consortium, a gathering of 27 experts and thought leaders from across US civilian and military learning institutions, media experts, and policy practitioners at the US Naval War College. This policy-brief draws on and highlights the discussions.

Despite a rising demand in international-affairs-related careers that require gender and WPS expertise, and the passage of the 2017 Women, Peace and Security Act which mandates enhanced professional training and education on Women, Peace and Security, current trainings and educational programs on WPS are created in silos such as academia, military, government, etc., and are often ad hoc.

In order to professionalize the field, it is necessary to establish an agreed-upon set of “minimum core competencies” for Women, Peace and Security to groom the next generation of policymakers and leaders.