ACWPS has conducted training for select clients, including flag and general officers in the U.S. and international militaries, Congressional staff and federal agencies on the WPS agenda, counter-trafficking, counter-terrorism, religious freedom, international law, women’s economic empowerment, women’s role in warfighting and the security sector.
We developed a curriculum for women survivors of sexual violence to help them tell their own stories in their own voices, written or orally, in order to influence public policy in their countries. To engage one of our experts, please contact us at experts@wpscouncil.org.


Training Expertise
- WPS principles and process
- Women’s economic empowerment
- Religious liberty
- Population and security
- Countering human trafficking
- Ending sexual violence
- International law
- International security
The Defense Department selected the American Council on Women Peace and Security to develop and implement Congressionally-mandated WPS education for the 20,000-strong U.S. Security Cooperation Workforce at the Defense Security Cooperation University. Dr. Susan Yoshihara serves as subject matter expert and instructor at the university where she teaches WPS in the flagship course for security cooperation officers, the Ministry of Defense Advisors course, the Executive-level course for General and Flag Officers and Senior Executive Service. She worked to develop and launch the university’s online “Women Peace and Security for Security Cooperation.” She is developing WPS courses for international senior military officers and for U.S Department of Defense planning, oversight, and management professionals while also training DSCU faculty to implement these courses for long-term impact.
DSCU’S 2022 WPS PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION WORKSHOP

ACWPS Legal Counsel Abbe Jolles, ACWPS Fellow Dr. Grace Hoffman, and ACWPS President Dr. Susan Yoshiharea attended and presented at DSCU’S 2022 Professional Military Education Workshop, which focused on how WPS advances and aligns with U.S. Security Cooperation.
Testimonials
“Your presentation was a great example of how change happens with a global agenda like WPS: international norm setting, country-specific initiatives to bring it home, creation of a national laws/mandate, institutional change, rigorous training and many more efforts that need constant nurturing by many actors including civil society. And even then, change comes slowly and with occasional backsliding. What an important lesson to learn! Thank you for all that you do to promote WPS at the American Council and DOD.”
“On behalf of our faculty and students, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to the class yesterday. I thought the lecture was a really nice fit for what we were looking to accomplish, and several students revisited their maritime security strategies as a result. We had some really interesting conversations today about diverse topics with WPS angles: fisheries management, economic equality in coastal communities, and even the meaning of ‘good governance.’ This is exactly what we needed. While there were some struggles with topics like MDA and building naval capacity, I was really happy to see the students at least pause to consider the problem from a perspective that many had not considered before.”
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