December 9, Lieutenant Colonel Harrel, spokesman of the U.S. Navy Air Force, said on the same day that the U.S. Navy recommended a woman as the captain of the aircraft carrier for the first time.
According to the report, Amy Bowenschmidt, the former naval helicopter pilot and captain of the amphibious dock transport ship, was one of the six naval captains recommended as aircraft carrier and captain on November 21.
Haller said that Bowenschmidt and her colleagues have not been assigned to specific aircraft carriers, and they will be qualified for command in fiscal year 2022.
At present, the U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, all of which are nuclear-powered. Each aircraft carrier, including the carrier-based aviation unit, carries about 5,000 crews and 60 to 75 fighters.
In August 2016, Bowenschmidt served as the first female deputy captain of the aircraft carrier Lincoln. From November 2019 to October this year, she served as the captain of the amphibious dock transport ship San Diego.
According to the biography of the U.S. Navy, Bowenschmidt graduated from the Naval Academy in 1994 and was the first female crew to serve on combat ships.
Just one year before her graduation, the U.S. Congress lifted the ban on female military personnel to hold such positions. In an interview, Bowenschmidt said, “This bill has completely changed my life.” We are all very honored to serve on the battlefield with our comrades-in-arms.
Bowenschmidt became a naval pilot in 1996 and was deployed to the Persian Gulf and served on the destroyer John Young with the Light 45 anti-submarine helicopter squadron. She later served as a flight instructor, department head and commander of several helicopter squadrons, with more than 3,000 flying hours.
