After completing her military school training for four years in France, Lieutenant-colonel Tania Weinzaepfel returned to the grand duchy in 2003 as the first female officer of the Luxembourg army. Today, she stands as the highest-ranking woman and serves as the head of the logistics department in charge of all infrastructure projects within the military force.
Shortly after joining the Luxembourg army back in 2003, she took on several leadership roles as the head of a peloton with 30 soldiers and has even led a 120-man troop. She’s also participated in several short-term missions abroad both in Kosovo (2005) and in Afghanistan (2007 and 2012).
Delano: Joining the army has been purely voluntary for decades, so why did you choose to join?
Tania Weinzaepfel: As a young woman, I did a lot of sports, and I was part of the Girl Scouts. [Also], I always wanted a versatile and fast-paced job, where I could always be in contact with others and work in teams. My grandfather was also an officer in the Belgian army, perhaps that helped in making the choice to join the army.
Are there any women who have served as role models for you? And why?
I’m trying to think of one, but there isn’t a specific woman or man that served as a role model to me. Rather, values served as a model for me. There are men and women that have these values and I appreciate them for their values.
As a woman, does it sometimes feel lonely being in the highest army ranks?
No, I’ve never felt alone. I was a little nervous before I came because I didn't know what to expect but I never felt alone. Also, there were lots of women that came after me. I was accepted very well by my superiors and my colleagues
Last year, the Luxembourg army charged a women’s committee with proposing ways to improve the integration and recruitment of women in the army. In your experience, what might prevent women from participating and how can they overcome these barriers?
I think as young women, we question ourselves especially when we don’t know the army so well. We are often afraid that we won't be able to keep up physically or that we won't be able to fit into a [traditionally] male-dominated field. But that’s not the case today. We are in the 21st century and women have proven that they do have a place. The fact that women have minimum standards they must meet to attest to their physical prowess is not unique to them as men also have set standards. But not everything depends on physical abilities, there are tons of other qualities that are definitively more important. There are qualities like courage, team spirit, tenacity, the willingness to go above and beyond or situational intelligence. Depending on your position, you must also be able to make the right decisions at the right time. I think these are all very important qualities and in none of these qualities are women weaker than men.
What is the biggest myth you have heard about women in the military?
Oh yes, that women don’t have a place in the army or that it’s a job reserved for men… We hear these all the time, but there’s something that struck me when I was a young officer in training, and this was the [American war drama film] G.I. Jane that was released in 1997. [So] we see this extremely strong woman that gives the impression that as a woman joining the army, one must be extremely strong physically or you don’t stand a chance. And I was a bit disappointed with this movie because in the end this is not the case at all. Women don’t have to be extremely strong physically to find their place in the army. In fact, on the contrary, everyone has their own qualities that must be put forward, and there is no need to try and look like what you’re not. I think that it is diversity that is a great strength of the army. Diversity in terms of gender, but also in terms of background, academic qualifications and skills. We need a mix of everything to build the army.
How do you maintain a good work-life balance?
I’ve been almost 10 years working [30 hours per week] and this rhythm allows me to maintain a good balance, especially on days when the kids are home. I have to also stress that work-life balance is an important topic for the army, even when we leave on missions for four or six months, the link with the family remains priority for the army.
In general, what do you think about the involvement of women in combat missions, even if Luxembourg is not involved in combat missions abroad?
It’s quite complicated to position myself, because until now Luxembourg has not led any combat missions abroad. [But] if a woman meets the requirements to take part in combat missions, I don’t see why she shouldn’t take part. Combat operations have evolved. It’s no longer comparable with WWI and WWII. Today we use modern technologies, there are drones and satellites, most of the movements are done via vehicles, so this physical quality is required, but women can meet these standards just as well… Whether it is a man or a woman who sits in the Dingo [an armoured car], there is no big difference.
The topic of women’s rights in Afghanistan has been gaining attention for a while now. Could you highlight some of your personal experiences during your mission there?
Well, we were mostly confined to the airport [the team of about 25 were stationed at the Kabul airport for four months]… but these were two very enriching experiences [in 2007 and 2012] because we interacted with a very different culture from ours. But there’s an anecdote that comes to mind and it was during my first contact with the Afghan authorities during my first mission in 2007. When I arrived with my driver, the Afghan leaders immediately started speaking with my driver and didn’t speak to me as they thought he was the one in charge [laughs]. Well, for them they had a woman on their team but their leader was a man. Anyway, they very quickly addressed the situation and we had a great collaboration. But I think things would have evolved a lot now as this was back in 2007.
Any advice for women who are considering joining the military and for those who want to move up the ranks?
You must always believe in yourself and never give up. And this is useful in all situations. There are moments when you question yourself or ask yourself: am I doing the right thing or am I really in my place? But you have to keep believing in yourself and never give up. And I believe that if we keep this in mind, we will overcome all the obstacles and then we will give ourselves the chance to move up the ranks.