Oct 03 2022 - Halifax
Oct.03.2022

The HFX China Handbook

December 26, 2022

By Peter Van Praagh

  • The Halifax Peace With Women Fellowship’s mission is both ambitious and attainable: to advance women’s leadership in international security. In March 2022, Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) welcomed the fourth cohort of Peace With Women Fellows, whose program was postponed from 2022 due to the pandemic. Twelve esteemed officers from 11 NATO member and partner coun- tries embarked on a 22-day intensive program. In November, they will join the forthcoming fifth cohort of Fellows and program alumnae at the 2022 Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada.
  • Notably, the March program began immediately following Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, providing a critical real-world scenario to advance and test the Fellows learning. Throughout the March program, participants engaged with a multitude of experts and decision-makers represent- ing the constellation of organizations and sectors active in the international security space and on the cutting edge of emerging technology trends.
  • Stakeholders, observers, and the Fellows themselves all said that the program far exceeded their expectations. HFX continues to facilitate the devel- opment of the knowledge and networks of its participants to make them even more effective leaders for their organizations across the NATO Alliance. On March 9, 2022, the class gathered in Washington, DC. They spent the subsequent three weeks travelling to Silicon Valley, Ottawa, and Toronto
  • The Fellowship’s design intentionally drew from diverse sectors, including defense, science and technology, government, media, academia, think tanks, and civil society. In keeping with HFX’s goal of advancing a modern vision of security, the Fellowship aimed to extend its focus beyond the traditional definitions of domestic and international security. The Appendix to this report lists the full complement of meetings that took place during the March Fellowship.
  • The engagements were primarily structured as off-the-record and discussion-based in order to promote open and transparent conversations. The Fellowship curriculum featured the intersectionality of four key areas: China, Climate, Gender Perspec- tives, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. During each meeting, Fellows and guest speakers explored the interplay and security dimensions of these themes with the subject matter being discussed.
  • The highlight of the March 2022 program was meeting with Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand. Minister Anand led a wide-ranging conversation on matters related to international security and women in the military. Notably, Canada’s Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Frances Allen, the first woman to hold the position in the Canadian Armed Forces, joined the meeting and provided important perspec- tive to the discussion; Deputy Minister of National Defence Bill Matthews and Associate Deputy Minister Stefanie Beck also joined the meeting. The Halifax Peace With Women Fellowship’s mission is both ambitious and attainable: to advance women’s leadership in international security.
  • In March 2022, Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) welcomed the fourth cohort of Peace With Women Fellows, whose program was postponed from 2022 due to the pandemic. Twelve esteemed officers from 11 NATO member and partner countries embarked on a 22-day intensive program.
  • The Halifax Peace With Women Fellowship’s mission is both ambitious and attainable: to advance women’s leadership in international security. In March 2022, Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) welcomed the fourth cohort of Peace With Women Fellows, whose program was postponed from 2022 due to the pandemic. Twelve esteemed officers from 11 NATO member and partner coun- tries embarked on a 22-day intensive program. In November, they will join the forthcoming fifth cohort of Fellows and program alumnae at the 2022 Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada.
  • Notably, the March program began immediately following Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, providing a critical real-world scenario to advance and test the Fellows learning. Throughout the March program, participants engaged with a multitude of experts and decision-makers represent- ing the constellation of organizations and sectors active in the international security space and on the cutting edge of emerging technology trends.
  • “Stakeholders, observers, and the Fellows themselves all said that the program far exceeded their expectations.”
  • Stakeholders, observers, and the Fellows themselves all said that the program far exceeded their expectations. HFX continues to facilitate the devel- opment of the knowledge and networks of its participants to make them even more effective leaders for their organizations across the NATO Alliance. On March 9, 2022, the class gathered in Washington, DC. They spent the subsequent three weeks travelling to Silicon Valley, Ottawa, and Toronto.
  • The Fellowship’s design intentionally drew from diverse sectors, including defense, science and technology, government, media, academia, think tanks, and civil society. In keeping with HFX’s goal of advancing a modern vision of security, the Fellowship aimed to extend its focus beyond the traditional definitions of domestic and international security. The Appendix to this report lists the full complement of meetings that took place during the March Fellowship.
  • The engagements were primarily structured as off-the-record and discussion-based in order to promote open and transparent conversations. The Fellowship curriculum featured the intersectionality of four key areas: China, Climate, Gender Perspec- tives, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. During each meeting, Fellows and guest speakers explored the interplay and security dimensions of these themes with the subject matter being discussed.
  • The Fellowship’s design intentionally drew from diverse sectors, including defense, science and technology, government, media, academia, think tanks, and civil society. In keeping with HFX’s goal of advancing a modern vision of security, the Fellowship aimed to extend its focus beyond the traditional definitions of domestic and international security. The Appendix to this report lists the full complement of meetings that took place during the March Fellowship.
  • Twelve esteemed officers from 11 NATO member and partner countries embarked on a 22-day inten- sive program. In November, they will join the forthcoming fifth cohort of Fellows and program alumnae at the 2022 Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, Canada.

HFXConversations (in same font as artcile) launched in November 2022 as HFX's first online publication. Dedicated to bringing ideas and opinions from democratic government leaders to the wider public, HFXConversations (in same font as article please) will publish essays and interviews when they need to be published.