华盛顿——周五,空军上将杰奎琳·范·奥沃斯特成为第二位领导五角大楼11个所谓战斗司令部之一的女性,这是领导美国在世界各地军事行动的多军种组织。
在伊利诺伊州斯科特空军基地的指挥权交接仪式上,国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀称赞范·奥沃斯特历史性地崛起,领导美国运输司令部。他称她为“领袖传奇”,是一名训练有素的飞行员,也是8月份从喀布尔空运数万名撤离人员的关键人物。作为空军空中机动司令部的指挥官,她帮助策划了这次空运。
退役陆军上将奥斯汀说:“我们需要我们能得到的每一个杰基·范·奥沃斯特。“就像她喜欢说的,‘作为仰视的年轻女性,很难成为你看不见的人。’所以范·奥沃斯特将军知道打破壁垒的重要性。"
参谋长联席会议主席马克·米利将军称赞范·奥沃斯特经验丰富。
“没有一个人比杰基·范·奥沃斯特更愿意领导TransCom,”他说。
运输指挥部负责全球的所有方面运输对军方而言,包括货物和人员的陆、海、空运输。它在马里兰州安德鲁斯空军基地的第89个空运联队负责政府要员的飞行,包括总统的空军一号。
范·奥沃斯特,1988年毕业于空军学院,曾任五角大楼联合参谋部副主任,接替即将退休的陆军上将斯蒂芬·莱昂斯的运输司令部。另一位领导美国作战司令部的女性是现已退休的陆军上将洛里·罗宾逊,她于2016年接管了美国北方司令部。陆军上将劳拉·理查森将接替海军上将克雷格·法勒,于10月29日接管美国南方司令部。
Air Force general is second woman to lead a top US command
WASHINGTON -- Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost on Friday became only the second woman to lead one of the Pentagon's 11 so-called combatant commands, the multi-service organizations that spearhead U.S. military operations around the world.
At a change-of-command ceremony at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin applauded Van Ovost's historic rise to lead U.S. Transportation Command. He called her a “legend of a leader,” a pilot by training and a pivotal player in the airlift of tens of thousands of evacuees from Kabul in August. She helped orchestrate the airlift as commander of the Air Force Air Mobility Command.
“We need every Jackie Van Ovost we can get,” Austin, a retired Army general, said. “As she likes to say, ‘As young women looking up, it’s hard to be what you can't see.' So General Van Ovost knows the importance of breaking barriers."
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, applauded Van Ovost's depth of experience.
“There is not a single person out there who is more prepared to lead TransCom than Jackie Van Ovost,” he said.
Transportation Command is in charge of all aspects of globaltransportationfor the military, including the movement of cargo and personnel by land, sea and air. Its 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland operates aircraft for government VIP travel, including Air Force One for the president.
Van Ovost, a 1988 graduate of the Air Force Academy and a former vice director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, took over Transportation Command for Army Gen. Stephen Lyons, who is retiring. The only other woman to lead a U.S. combatant command is Army Gen. Lori Robinson, now retired, who took charge of U.S. Northern Command in 2016. Army Gen. Laura Richardson is scheduled to take over U.S. Southern Command on Oct. 29, succeeding Navy Adm. Craig Faller.