President Trump will nominate former Chairman of the Aerospace Corporation Barbara Barrett to replace outgoing Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson.
“I am pleased to announce my nomination of Barbara Barrett of Arizona, and former Chairman of the Aerospace Corporation, to be the next Secretary of the Air Force. She will be an outstanding Secretary! #FlyFightWin,” Trump tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
I am pleased to announce my nomination of Barbara Barrett of Arizona, and former Chairman of the Aerospace Corporation, to be the next Secretary of the Air Force. She will be an outstanding Secretary! #FlyFightWin
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 21, 2019
This isn’t the first time Barrett, 68, has been considered for the position. Barrett, who was ambassador to Finland during the Bush administration from 2008 to 2009, was nominated to serve as the secretary of the Air Force in 2003 but withdrew her nomination.
The Arizona native is a certified jet pilot and became the first civilian woman to land an F/A-18 Hornet on an aircraft carrier in the 1980s — a time when women were barred from flying fighters or bombers.
She is currently a member of the Aerospace Corporation’s Board of Trustees and sits on the governing boards of the RAND Corporation and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
She was certified for space travel in 2009 after undergoing training at Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, and Kazakhstan to serve as a backup for astronaut Guy Laliberte. Although he completed the trip, Barrett said her experience was a true “privilege.”
“I never dreamed I would do anything like that. It was beyond the realm of possibility. It was pretty far-fetched what I did, and it really was a privilege,” she said in an interview with Montana’s Ravalli Republic in 2010.
According to Sen. Martha McSally’s office, the Arizona Republican has been encouraging the Trump administration to select Barrett for the post.
“Ambassador Barrett is force to be reckoned with and who has the leadership, experience, and knowledge to lead our Air Force into the future during a time of increased global threats,” McSally said in a statement. “I have confidence that Ambassador Barrett will lead the way in maintaining air and space dominance and continue to build upon the initiatives, leadership, and example set forth by Secretary Heather Wilson.”
Wilson, who was selected to serve as president of the University of Texas at El Paso, also praised Trump’s decision.
“Great choice by @realDonaldTrump Ambassador Barrett is an accomplished leader with a heart for service,” Wilson tweeted.
