“These testimonies tell us what they felt and experienced as women on peace missions”

Women in the armed forces or security forces in Portuguese missions abroad is a reality that begins when?

M. Margarida Pereira-Müller (MMPM): The first Portuguese soldiers were integrated into peacekeeping missions in the Balkans, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, within the scope of NATO’s IFOR in 1995/1996. Many of the pioneers were in support areas, such as healthcare (nurses and doctors) and broadcasting, but quickly moved into roles in frontline and leadership units.

Cidália Vargas Pecegueiro (CVP): The participation of Portuguese women in missions abroad is the culmination of a process of opening up the Armed Forces that began in the early 1990s. Although the Air Force was a pioneer in the incorporation of women in 1988, it was only with the revision of the Military Service Law, in 1991, that the Army and Navy opened their doors, allowing, a few years later, the first military personnel to be designed for conflict scenarios.

In the testimonies they collected, what most motivated these women to move on to distant missions?

MMPM: What drives a woman to exchange the security of home for the uncertainty of a mission? The reasons are as diverse as the theaters of operations: from the natural desire for professional growth and the desire to test capabilities in international environments, to the human impulse to save lives and help those who need it most. For many, leaving is the purest way of leaving their comfort zone, exchanging their routine for the opportunity to discover new cultures and actively contribute to global security.

CVP: In addition to the patriotism and military duty common to all interviewees, many report that the desire to show that they are capable of meeting the same physical and psychological demands as their male counterparts is a powerful driver. There are also those who highlight the impulse to protect the most vulnerable as a central motivation, as in many theaters of operations, such as Afghanistan or Africa, military women have access to spaces and conversations with local women and children that are closed to men. Other testimonies collected refer to the gratification of seeing the immediate impact of their presence in rebuilding communities, whether in providing healthcare or ensuring security.

There are testimonies of experiences in Kosovo or the Central African Republic, also in Colombia and Lebanon. Were there differences in adaptation depending on the cultural context of the country where they were on mission?

MMPM: Missions abroad are not a uniform reality; they are opposite worlds. If in Spain, in the service of FRONTEX, freedom of movement allowed an almost normal life, in Afghanistan or the CAR, the barracks were the only safe refuge. Once at sea, the challenge was different: the mission is experienced below the waterline, in spaces shared by eight people, where sunlight is a rare privilege and privacy a non-existent concept.

CVP: Cultural adaptation requires a constant response from the military and police. In Kosovo, freedom of movement is superior and interaction with the civilian population is more fluid, but in the Central African Republic or Afghanistan, the shock is profound because in addition to being deeply patriarchal and conservative societies, there is also the problem of freedom being sacrificed for the sake of survival, since the risk of ambush or attacks on military columns dictates that life is confined to the perimeter of the camp, which creates enormous psychological pressure. In Colombia, within the scope of monitoring the peace process, the need for adaptation is enormous as military personnel often live in remote camps in the jungle, in an extreme tropical climate, with the enormous responsibility of mediating conflicts between former guerrillas and the government.

In the case of missions in Portuguese-speaking countries, do you report greater ease in dealing with the populations?

MMPM: Yes, the effectiveness of Portuguese missions owes much to this ability to communicate ‘eye to eye’. Without the barrier of intermediaries, women on mission achieved acceptance and trust from local communities that was decisive. It’s a skill that doesn’t appear in tactics manuals, but it decides the success of a peacekeeping mission.

CVP: Portugal shares with these countries not only the language, but certain cultural codes and, sometimes, family ties. The absence of interpreters and the sharing of the language transform the dynamics of the mission, because when a Portuguese soldier approaches a local community in their own language, there is an immediate change in the perception of security. On the other hand, as many Cariocas feel more comfortable reporting abuse to another woman, when this conversation takes place in Portuguese, the fluidity allows you to detect emotional nuances and subtext that would be lost in translation.

Was it difficult to convince these women-at-arms to talk about their military experience abroad, but also about what led them to a military career?

MMPM: Military experience is often reduced to numbers and missions accomplished. However, these women bring us something more precious: the account of what they felt and experienced as women. These are aspects that never enter the State archives, but are fundamental for us to understand what it actually means to serve.

CVP: I felt on the part of most of the interviewees a great interest and willingness to tell about their experiences, challenges, problems and victories as they told us that they value being able to report in first person the importance of what they do and the reason why they often decided to abandon young children to participate in these missions.

The preface is signed by the current dean of ISCTE, a sociologist who has studied women in the Armed Forces extensively and was Minister of Defense. Is Helena Carreiras herself, due to her governmental responsibilities and also as former director of the IDN, proof that there are no longer limits for women in this area?

MMPM: These stories prove that women can occupy any place. This is where the pedagogical strength of the book lies: showing young people that the only barriers that remain are those of mentalities and that they need to be broken down.

CVP: The absence of legal or formal limits does not mean the absence of practical obstacles. Although women already occupy top political positions, Portugal is still waiting for a greater critical mass of women in the posts of General Officer (Generals and Admirals). I think the reality we currently face demonstrates that as progression in the military career is strictly vertical and takes around 30 years to reach the top, the pioneering women of the 90s are only now approaching these positions – The objective is that a woman at the top is no longer an exception. At this moment, the biggest obstacle is not entry, but permanence, as military life requires geographic availability/mobility that is difficult to reconcile with family life. In this sense, there is a need to deepen family support policies that allow military women not to have to choose between career progression and their personal lives. Another problem that was mentioned to us by some interviewees is related to the uniform and infrastructure, as in many units, the uniform, protective equipment (ballistic vests adapted to the female physiognomy) and the accommodation infrastructure are still in the process of being updated for a mixed reality.

A more personal question for both authors. What inspired you to write this book? Do they have military family members? Have they ever felt like they could pursue a career in this field? Or is it mainly the desire to narrate life stories, especially focused on women?

MMPM: In 1974, when I knocked on the door of the Military Academy with a friend, what we received was a laugh of disbelief. Daughter of an officer and coming from the Odivelas Institute, military rigor was my home, but the system still did not provide for women in its ranks. This book is born from this past behind closed doors to ensure that new generations know that, today, there are no barriers they cannot break down. The path to parity continues, but the vision has already opened.

CVP: Personally, it was not the attraction of a military career or the Security Forces that motivated me for this book. My goal is to give visibility to women who occupy leadership roles that were traditionally reserved for men. Currently, in our country, the percentage of women in the Armed Forces is around 15%, while in the Security Forces it is even lower – although this percentage has grown in recent years, it is still very residual. In this sense, I believe that works like this are important as they show examples of resilience and courage that can motivate other young women to follow the same path as those portrayed.