Thank you very much.
I don't know whether it was intentional or not, but I think it's really nice to have three female experts today, International Women's Day. I don't know whether the subcommittee planned that. If so, I commend it.
I would like to keep my comments in the same vein and talk about a women's issue that has not been discussed much thus far. One of the lessons we learned in Afghanistan is that there is a woman's world to which male soldiers don't necessarily have access. Interactions with civilians, either in combat or humanitarian missions, led to the realization that, in some cultures, the world of women was truly reserved for women. For instance, the men who intervened could not gather accounts of what was really happening in the field. That's something to keep in mind.
I would like to know whether armed forces, in their current state of readiness, are aware of the need for enough female members. Has that idea been incorporated so as to ensure effective interventions in other countries?