 Welcome to All Hands Update. I'm Petty Officer Jen Blake. Senior Navy and Marine Corps leaders held a conference at the Pentagon August 26th to celebrate Women's Equality Month. The conference speakers covered many aspects of women's achievements, roles, and the future of women in the Department of the Navy. Panelists took several questions from the audience and discussed who inspires them, challenges they faced in their careers, and challenges women may face in the future. If you view yourself as having a disadvantage because you're a woman or a minority or anything else, you do yourself a real disservice. In my experience, there's nobody in life who has every advantage. Today, more than 54,000 women serve in the Navy on active duty or in the reserve, making up more than 17% of the force.