Leavitt takes reins at Nellis
By Staff Reports
Published in News on April 21, 2016 1:46 PM
Air Force officials have confirmed that Col. Jeannie M. Leavitt, former commander of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, will take the reins of the 57th Wing, becoming the highest-ranking female officer to command at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
This is the first time that a woman will command the wing.
Leavitt, who has been selected for the rank of brigadier general, will command the wing, which manages all flying operations at the base, including Red Flag and Green Flag air combat training exercises. The 57th Wing also runs the graduate-level U.S. Air Force Weapons School, oversees the world-renowned Thunderbirds air demonstration team and supports the Air Force Warfare Center's test-and-evaluation activities.
Leavitt became the Air Force's first female fighter pilot in 1993 and currently serves as Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter's principal military assistant at the Pentagon.