How have the roles of women in the military changed over time? What progress has been made towards more inclusive and diverse environments in the armed forces?

Lyla Kohistany joins this episode to give her take. Lyla is a U.S. Navy veteran, having served first as a Surface Warfare Officer before transferring to the Intelligence Community, where she served as an Intelligence Officer for Special Operations missions. Upon leaving the Navy, Lyla founded a nonprofit called Promote, which is dedicated to helping Special Operations units foster more inclusive work environments.

We talked with Lyla about women in the military, portrayals of women service members in the media and their ramifications on the civil-military divide, and how men can be better allies for women who serve.

“Thank You For Your Service” is a production of the University of Chicago Public Policy Podcasts and does not necessarily represent the official positions of the Department of Defense or the U.S. government.

Further reading:

Nicole Alexander and Lyla Kohistany, “Dispelling the Myth of Women in Special Operations,” Center for a New American Security. https://www.cnas.org/publications/commentary/dispelling-the-myth-of-women-in-special-operations

Podcast Production Credit:

Thomas Krasnican, host

Nick Paraiso, host

Tom Lattanzio, producer

Aishwarya Kumar, production manager

Special thanks to Brianna Keilar and Tracie Logan.