A female military officer became the recipient of the Navy’s first maternity flight suit.
Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Nordan, who serves as a mobilization program manager in the Commander, Naval Air Force Reserve, received the uniform in the preliminary rollout of an initiative to better accommodate pregnant aircrew, the Navy announced in May.
“The addition of this uniform item makes an immediate impact on women in the Navy,” Nordan said in a May 8 Navy press release. “It shows that leadership is listening and is supportive in response to the issues that female aviators are raising.”
The flight suits contain adjustable side panels to provide expecting service members a better uniform fit.
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“Prior to the maternity flight suit, pregnant aircrew have generally collected larger sized flight suits and gone up through additional sizes throughout their pregnancy, potentially needing three to five additional flight suits,” Nordan said. “Wearing a larger-sized flight suit results in longer hems and sleeves, potentially presenting a safety hazard in the aircrew cleared to fly during pregnancy.
Wearing a too-large uniform looks unprofessional as aircrew go about their daily duties, she added.
“It makes a big difference to be able to continue to represent ourselves professionally in a well-fitting uniform throughout a pregnancy,” she said.
“These additions are important because they show that leadership supports the idea that having a career and having a family can be compatible,” Nordan added. “Being a dedicated Navy professional while building a family can be done.”
The flight suits have become something of a point of pride for some beyond the service, including for President Joe Biden, who pointed to them as a reflection of a more diverse and inclusive military, but they have not gone totally without controversy.
Fox News’s Tucker Carlson took issue with the notion that “pregnant women are going to fight our wars.”
“It’s a mockery of the U.S. military,” Carlson said in March after Biden praised the flight suits and other uniform changes for women on International Women’s Day.
Some military officials criticized Carlson, including at least one military social media account.
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Pentagon spokesman John Kirby expressed hope that Carlson would “realize the mistake he made and express some regret about the manner in which he essentially demeaned the entire U.S. military.”
Along with Nordan, a number of other female aircrew received the Navy’s maternity flight suits during their trial run, Military.com reported, and all pregnant aircrew are able to wear the suits.
