On September 21, 2015, the Department of Defense launched a new initiative called Lean In Circles in conjunction with an organization called LeanIn.Org. The mission of this new program is to give female service members the chance to speak and connect with other women and men in their respective units on gender issues within the work force and find ways to overcome those obstacles. United States Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, also approves of this new peer-to-peer mentorship program and has seen first-hand the benefits of these networks in the workforce.