{"id":20880,"date":"2019-11-01T15:18:54","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T15:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/01\/first-female-airman-attempts-to-become-combat-controller\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:34:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:34:56","slug":"first-female-airman-attempts-to-become-combat-controller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2019\/11\/01\/first-female-airman-attempts-to-become-combat-controller\/","title":{"rendered":"First female airman enters training pipeline to be combat controller"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force now has its first female airman<\/a> who is in the training pipeline to become a combat controller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an email, 1st. Lt. Jeremy Huggins of the Air Force\u2019s Special Warfare<\/a> Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas said the enlisted combat control candidate began the eight-week special warfare preparatory course<\/a> on Oct. 14. If she graduates, she will move on to the assessment and selection course, Huggins said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A previous female candidate intended to enter the special warfare training pipeline earlier this year to become a combat controller, Huggins said. But she was reclassified into a different career field shortly before she was to begin the special warfare prep course, he said, and she never entered the training wing\u2019s pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also another female airman who is seeking to become a pararescueman, Huggins said, but she is not currently in training. Huggins said common reasons for someone not being in training include a medical hold, an administrative hold or waiting for a training class to begin, but said he could not say which was the reason in this case. She is the second woman to attempt to enter pararescue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no specific timeline as to when we\u2019ll see our first woman serving as a special warfare airman in one of the seven combat-related career fields opened for women in 2016,\u201d Huggins said. \u201cFrom start to finish, it may take up to two years for a woman to join an operational unit because of the Air Force\u2019s natural timeline to recruit, access, select and train. The training pipeline for these highly skilled and highly trained specialties are quite lengthy for all special warfare airmen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These airmen are now the 10th and 11th enlisted women to attempt special warfare training. But none so far have made it through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven of those candidates sought to become tactical air control party airmen. The last female TACP candidate \u2014 who was the ninth enlisted candidate overall \u2014 entered the special warfare prep course March 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\t