The U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Virginia Blaser with some of the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) officials

The U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Virginia Blaser (Second from the left) and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Sharon Cromer (Fourth on the right) met with Major Catherine Mwamunyange (Third from the right) and Major Neema Semwenda (Fourth on the Left) from the Tanzania People's Defence Forces (TPDF) prior to their attendance at a conference sponsored by the African Center for Strategic Studies, part of the U.S. National Defense University in Washington, D.C., from 21 October - 8 November. The conference entitled "The Next Generation of Female African Security Sector Leaders," will allow participants to engage with their peers from across Africa to discuss issues facing their militaries and to enable them to develop strategies to address those issues. Mrs. Blaser spoke to Majors Mwamunyange and Semwenda about the importance of being strong mentors for young women entering a profession that is traditionally dominated by men, such as the military, and urged them to explore ways to increase the role of women as mentors within the TPDF.