Halifax International Security Forum’s Peace With Women Fellowship brings together senior, active-duty, female military officers from NATO member and partner countries for a 3-week executive tour of the political and technological capitals of the United States and Canada.
The 2023 Fellowship will continue to expand the leadership capacity of senior women officers from the NATO Alliance. By the time the 2023 class convenes, 20 countries will have participated and developed a network that be vital for the Alliance’s continued collaboration. In October 2023, Fellows will travel between cities in the United States and Canada before attending the annual Halifax International Security Forum. Over the course of 28 days, they will experience more than 45 engagements with leaders and experts from military, government, technology, media, academia, and civil society.
Eligibility:
Important Dates 2023:
Application Instructions:
All answers should be submitted in English. Priority consideration will be given to early applicants. Before beginning the online application, applicants should prepare the following materials which will be submitted as PDF attachments to the online application form below:
The Fellowship is designed to challenge participants by engaging with senior government, military, corporate, and academic leaders to discuss and better understand the world’s leading security issues. The program endeavors to not only ensure that the Fellows can discuss the problems and ideas they face, but also propose innovative solutions and apply what they learn in their home countries. HFX is proud to lead the security community with this unprecedented Fellowship program advancing women’s leadership in security, while fostering a dynamic network of women military leaders across the world.
The Halifax Peace With Women Fellowship begins in Washington DC and travels to Silicon Valley, Ottawa, and Toronto. The program concludes at the annual Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia.
The program draws from diverse sectors, including defense, science and technology, media, academia, and civil society. In keeping with the organization’s goal of advancing a modern vision of security, the Fellowship aims to extend beyond the traditional definitions of domestic and international security. Fellows engage in discussion with over 50 meeting hosts. Some highlights over the years include meetings with:
Former Secretary of State of the United States, Madeleine Albright
Former Secretary of State of the United States, General Colin Powell
Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kathleen Hicks
Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Heather Wilson
Secretary of the United States Navy, Richard V. Spencer
Center for Justice and Accountability
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS)
Defense Innovation Unit
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Hoover Institution, Stanford University
In-Q-Tel
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Palantir
United States Institute of Peace
Her Excellency, Jaqueline O’Neill, Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security
Her Excellency The Right Honorable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada
His Excellency The Right Honorable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Minister of National Defence of Canada, Anita Anand
National Security and Intelligence Advisor, Office of the Prime Minister, Jody Thomas
Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada, General Wayne Eyre
Global Affairs Canada
Canadian Forces College
Citizen Lab
Defence Research Development Canada
Council of Canadian Innovators
Defence and Security Foresight Group
NATO Association Canada
Stakeholders, observers, and the Fellows themselves have declared the program a tremendous success. Learn more about some of the impact the program has had by reading the Program Reports.
United States Army
Managing Director, Strategy for Humanity
Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace, and Security, NATO
Former Director of Communications, Minister of National Defence; Advisory Board, Network for Strategic Analysis on Defence and Security
Chief Information Security Officer, Well Health Technologies Corporation
Director Strategic Programmes, Royal New Zealand Air Force, New Zealand, 2020
Commandant, Australian Defence Force Academy, Australian Defence Force, 2018
Chief of Branch Recruitment, Federal Ministry of Defence, German Armed Forces, 2019
Chief of Branch Public Health, Federal Ministry of Defense, German Armed Forces, Germany, 2022
Military Adjutant to the President, Armed Forces of the Republic of North Macedonia, North Macedonia, 2021
Director of Canadian Forces Grievance Authority, Department of National Defence, Canada, 2021
Deputy Director of French Higher Military Education, Directorate for Higher Military Studies, France, 2021
Wing Commander, Air Force Technical Applications Center, United States Air Force, United States, 2020
Executive Assistant, DHS Joint Task Force- East, United States Coast Guard, United States, 2020
Finance Deputy, Aeronautics Maintenance Directory, French Army, France, 2020
Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Assistant Chief of Staff Support, Royal Canadian Air Force, Canada, 2022
G3 of the Operational Headquarters, Royal Marechaussee, Netherlands, 2021
Director Joint Effects/J3E, Royal Australian Air Force, Australia, 2021
Naval Air Base Commanding Officer, French Navy, France, 2022
Director, General Engineering, Royal Australian Navy, Australia, 2019
Commander, Personnel Logistics, Royal Netherlands Army, Netherlands, 2020
Colonel, Cost Analysis Commission Leader, Air Logistics Command, Turkish Air Force, Turkey, 2021
Director, Defence Legal Services, New Zealand Defence Forces, New Zealand, 2019
Spokesperson for the Chief of Defence, Ministry of Defence, Norway, 2018
Logistics Director, Special Operations Command Africa, United States Special Operations Command, United States, 2018
Group Captain Recruitment and Selection, Royal Air Force, United Kingdom, 2022
Director, Military Centre of Aviation Medicine, Slovak Air Force. Slovak Republic, 2020
Chief of Joint Medical Department of Defence Staff, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuania, 2022
Director, Strategic Commitments, New Zealand Defence Forces, New Zealand, 2018
National Liaison Representative to NATO ACT, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Norway, 2022
Commander, Medical Regiment No 1, German Armed Forces, Germany, 2020
Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations Section, Defence Staff Norway, Norwegian Armed Forces, Norway, 2019
Section Head/Deputy Director, Albania General Staff, Albanian Armed Forces, Albania, 2018
Assistant Chief of Army (Delivery), New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand, 2021
Staff Officer, Peformance Control, Joint Headquarters, French Armed Forces, France, 2019
Commander, RCAF Aerospace Warfare Center, Canadian Air Force, Canada, 2020
Branch Chief of Concepts and Capabilities, Plans and Capabilities Division, Danish Army, Denmark, 2020
Director, Integrated Resilience, HQ, United States Air Force, United States, 2019
CAF Special Advisor to Sexual Misconduct Response Centre, Canadian Armed Forces, Canada, 2018
Director, RCAF Professional Development, 2nd Canadian Air Division, Royal Canadian Air Force, Canada, 2019
Director, Fleet Logisitics, Australian Navy, Australia, 2020
Battalion Commander, Army Engineers Signal & Sappers Academy, Spanish Navy, Spain 2020
Senior Advisor, Defense Policy Group, Ministry of National Defense, Lithuania, 2021
Chair NATO Committee on Gender Perspectives & Head of the Gender Equality Office PT MoD, Portugal, 2021
Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff Medical, Headquarters Field Army, British Army, United Kingdom, 2020
Chief of Staff, Special Operations Command South, United States Air Force, United States, 2019
Deputy Policy Director, Netherlands Armed Forces, Netherlands, 2019
Operations Research Analyst, United States Space Force, United States, 2022
Senior Instructor, General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuania, 2019
Vice President, Federal Office of Bundeswehr Personnel Management, German Armed Forces, Germany, 2018
Commandant, Armed Forces College; Deputy Chief, Training and Education Command, Swiss Air Force, Switzerland, 2020
Assistant Chief of Staff J1/J4, Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), British Royal Navy, United Kingdom, 2019
Commanding Officer, Swedish Air Warfare Center, Swedish Air Force, Sweden, 2021
Director Military Health Services, Military Health Services, Austria, 2022
Commanding Officer 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla, Swedish Navy, Sweden, 2022
Australian Armed Forces, Australia, 2022
Deputy Director People, British Royal Navy, United Kingdom, 2021
Commander Joint Movements, Australian Army, Australia, 2022
Head of the Policy Control (Department Directorate of Finance and Control) Royal Netherlands Navy, Netherlands, 2022
Commanding Officer, USCG Activities Far East, United States Coast Guard, United States, 2022
Commander 93 Air Ground Operations Wing, United States Air Force, United States, 2021