Discussions on the role of women in the military, either serving in combat or high-risk roles, took center stage in a so-called “Gender, Peace, and Security” (GPS) tabletop exercise aboard the helicopter landing dock HMAS Canberra last Aug. 29.

In a statement Thursday, Department of National Defense (DND) spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the GPS tabletop is part of Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavor (IPE) 2023.

“This year, the tabletop exercise centered on Gender, Peace and Security, which enjoined all participants to discuss the role of female military personnel deployed to combat duty or high-risk roles, such as humanitarian and disaster relief,” he added.

Andolong also said the exercise explored the issues of “limited opportunities and areas” for career progression for women in the military.

Participants in the GPS tabletop exercise, which took place while HMAS Canberra was in Manila Bay, consisted of personnel from the DND, Office of Civil Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Australian Defense Forces, and the Australian Embassy.

Assistant Secretary Antonio Bautista, DND Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point System (FPS) vice chairperson, represented the DND and delivered the closing message of DND GAD FPS chairperson Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino.

In his message, Espino expressed his congratulations to the ADF for organizing the activity, as well as the participants from the Department in completing the tabletop exercise.

He emphasized the need to create more platforms to provide awareness on GPS by capacitating more women and men in the advocacy and influencing the DND’s policies to achieve our gender and development goals and agenda.

“Let us not forget our shared commitment and forward our actions to better serve our respective countries and the world,” Espino stressed.

The IPE, Australia’s flagship regional engagement, was tapped to strengthen Australia’s partnership with the Philippines and other regional security partners.

“Building on the success of IPE 2022, the same 14 countries participated in this year’s iteration, namely Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam,” Andolong said.

The IPE 2023 GPS tabletop exercise culminated with a tour of the HMAS Canberra, Australia’s largest naval vessel, by the participants. (PNA)