Jeannie Leavitt: First USAF female fighter pilot

Jeannie Marie Leavitt (née Flynn; born circa 1967) is a distinguished retired general officer of the United States Air Force (USAF). In 1993, she became the first female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, paving the way for future generations of women in military aviation. Furthermore, she made history once again by becoming the first woman to command a USAF combat fighter wing, demonstrating her leadership capabilities in a traditionally male-dominated field.

Major General Jeannie M. Leavitt held the prominent position of Chief of Safety for the Department of the Air Force at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in Arlington, Virginia, where she oversaw critical safety initiatives for the Air Force and Space Force. In her capacity as Commander of the Air Force Safety Centre at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, she was instrumental in developing, executing, and evaluating comprehensive programs focused on mishap prevention and nuclear surety to sustain combat readiness and operational capability. Additionally, General Leavitt directed extensive research initiatives to promote safety awareness, conducted thorough mishap investigations, evaluated and implemented corrective actions, and established protocols to ensure continuous improvement in safety practices across the forces. She also managed and directed all safety and risk management courses, thereby influencing the education of numerous Air Force personnel.

General Leavitt commenced her Air Force career in 1992 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University. She was commissioned as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. Her extensive and varied career encompassed a wide range of assignments, where she excelled in flying, staff, and command roles. She commanded at the flight, squadron, and wing levels and is recognised as a graduate and former instructor of the prestigious U.S. Air Force Weapons School. As a command pilot, she accumulated over 3,000 hours of flight time, with operational experiences that included military deployments in Operations Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom.

In her early career, General Leavitt served as the Director of Operations and Communications at Headquarters Air Education and Training Command. In this vital role, she managed the largest training organisation in the world, which provided initial skills training, undergraduate flying, post-graduate combat crew training, and supplemental training to over 300,000 personnel from the Air Force, joint forces, and allied nations across 65 Air Force and Department of Defence locations.

Early Life

General Leavitt was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to James, an enlisted member of the Air Force, and Pat Flynn. She attended Bishop DuBourg High School, a well-regarded private Roman Catholic institution in St. Louis. Upon graduating in 1985, she pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University.

Career

General Leavitt began her Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas in 1992. Notably, while being trained as a T-38 instructor pilot at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, the longstanding restrictions on women flying combat missions were lifted in April 1993. Subsequently, she undertook formal combat training in the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, officially becoming the first female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

Leavitt garnered substantial operational experience, with over three hundred combat flying hours in the F-15, primarily in theatres such as Afghanistan and Iraq. A significant highlight of her career occurred during Operation Southern Watch in 1996, when she provided air support to a Royal Air Force Tornado GR1 on a critical mission while it was under threat from an Iraqi Roland surface-to-air missile.

From 2002 to 2010, General Leavitt furthered her education and professional development by acquiring three master’s degrees: a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University in Alabama (2002), a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base (2004), and a Master of National Security Strategy from the National War College (2010).

General Leavitt's first command was the 333rd Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. In June 2012, she was appointed as the Commander of the 4th Fighter Wing at the same base, where she led numerous successful missions and enhanced operational effectiveness.

In June 2014, she relinquished her command of the 4th Fighter Wing to assume the role of principal military assistant to the Secretary of Defence in Washington, D.C. In 2016, she achieved another milestone by becoming the first woman to command the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, subsequently being promoted to the rank of brigadier general.

In June 2018, General Leavitt transitioned from her role at the 57th Wing to become the commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service at Randolph Air Force Base, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. She assumed the position of Air Force Chief of Safety on August 13, 2021, and officially retired from the Air Force on September 23, 2023.

Throughout her career, General Leavitt has engaged with various professional organisations. She served as a member of the Engineering Advisory Board at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and held the position of principal at Pallas Advisors. Moreover, she was a Distinguished National Security Fellow at the Clements Centre for National Security at the University of Texas.

On December 8, 2025, General Leavitt was appointed dean of the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott campus, with her official duties set to commence in February 2026.

Personal Life

General Leavitt is married to retired USAF Colonel Craig Leavitt, and together they have two children. Her family life is characterised by a commitment to service and education, reflecting the values that have shaped her distinguished career in the United States Air Force.

Assignments

January 1992 – March 1993, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas.

March 1993 – July 1993, T-38 instructor pilot upgrade trainee, Randolph AFB, Texas, later Vance AFB, Oklahoma.

July 1993 – April 1994, student, F-15E Formal Training Course, 555th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Arizona.

April 1994 – January 1998, instructor pilot, training officer, later Assistant Chief of Weapons, then Assistant Chief of Standardisation and Evaluation, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina.

January 1998 – July 1998, student, USAF Weapons Instructor Course, F-15E Division, Nellis AFB, Nevada.

July 1998 – June 2001, F-15E instructor pilot, Assistant Chief, then Chief of Weapons and Tactics, later Flight Commander, then Assistant Operations Officer, 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.

June 2001 – August 2003, F-15E instructor pilot, Wing Standardisation and Evaluation Examiner, 57th Operations Group, later Academics Flight Commander, then Assistant Operations Officer for Academics, 17th Weapons Squadron, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada.

August 2003 – July 2004, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

July 2004 – September 2005, Chief of Special Technical Operations, United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea.

September 2005 – April 2007, Chief of Master Air Attack Plans, 609th Combat Plans Squadron, Ninth Air Force and United States Central Command Air Forces, Shaw AFB, South Carolina.

April 2007 – July 2009, Assistant Director of Operations, 334th Fighter Squadron, later Commander, 333d Fighter Squadron, then Special Assistant to the 4th Operations Group Commander, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina.

July 2009 – June 2010, student, National War College, National Defence University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.

July 2010 – May 2012, CSAF Fellow, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.

June 2012 – June 2014, Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina.

June 2014 – April 2016, Principal Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defence, Washington, D.C.

April 2016 – June 2018, Commander, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada.

June 2018 – June 2020, Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.

June 2020 – August 2021, Director of Operations and Communications, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.

August 2021– September 2023, Department of the Air Force Chief of Safety, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va., and Commander, Air Force Safety Centre, Kirtland AFB, N.M.

September 2023, Retired from the Air Force