Jeannie Marie Leavitt
Major General, U.S. Air Force

Jeannie Marie Flynn was born in St. Louis, MO, the daughter of James (an Air Force enlisted man) and Pat Flynn. She attended Bishop DuBourg High School, a private Roman Catholic school in St. Louis. After graduating in 1985, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in California.

Leavitt earned her commission as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program in 1992 and entered the U.S. Air Force. She then began her Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin AFB, TX. While she was being trained as a T-38 instructor pilot at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, in April 1993 Defense Secretary Les Aspin ordered the services to drop restrictions on women flying combat missions. In July 1993, 1st Lt Leavitt began the F-15E Formal Training Course at 555th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ, and upon completing the course in April 1994, became the service's first female fighter pilot. She went on to become the first female to graduate from the elite Air Force Weapons School, where she later became an instructor.

Major General Leavitt is a Command Pilot with more than 3000 hours in the F-15E, which includes 300 combat hours. Her operational experiences include Operations Southern Watch; Northern Watch; Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. During one mission in Operation Southern Watch in 1996, then-Captain Leavitt supported a Royal Air Force Tornado GR1 under threat from an Iraqi Roland surface-to-air missile.

She has served as Commander of the 333d Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and as Deputy Commander of the 455th Operations Group at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. She was the Chief of Special Technical Operations at United States Forces Korea and the Chief of Master Air Attack Plans at United States Central Command Air Forces. She was a student at the National War College and a Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) Fellow.

In June 2012, Col Leavitt achieved another 'first' when she became the first woman to take command of an Air Force combat fighter wing; the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB, NC.

In her current assignment, Brig Gen Leavitt is the 57th Wing Commander at Nellis Air Force Base, NV. She is responsible for 34 squadrons at 13 installations constituting the Air Force's most diverse flying wing. The wing flies and maintains more than 130 aircraft of the following types: A-10, F-15C/D, F-15E, F-16C/CG/CJ, F-22A, F-35A and HH-60G. The wing also utilizes E-3, RC-135, E-8, B-1, B-2, B-52, C-130, KC-135, C-17, AC-130U and MC-130P aircraft and MQ-1/9 remotely piloted aircraft at 13 stateside bases to support the U.S. Air Force Weapons School syllabus. Brig Gen Leavitt is responsible for four groups: 57th Adversary Tactics Group, 57th Operations Group, 57th Maintenance Group and the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. In addition, she oversees the 561st Joint Tactics Squadron; U.S. Air Force Advanced Maintenance and Munitions Operations School; U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds; and the Red Flag and Green Flag exercises.

Assignments

1. January 1992 - March 1993, student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, TX
2. March 1993 - July 1993, T-38 instructor pilot upgrade trainee, Vance AFB, OK
3. July 1993 - April 1994, student, F-15E Formal Training Course, 555th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, AZ
4. April 1994 - January 1998, instructor pilot, training officer, later Assistant Chief of Weapons, then Assistant Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC
5. January 1998 - July 1998, student, USAF Weapons Instructor Course, F-15E Division, Nellis AFB, NV
6. 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, ID
7. June 2001 - August 2003, F-15E instructor pilot, Wing Standardization and Evaluation Examiner, 57th Operations Group, later Academics Flight Commander then Assistant Operations Officer for Academics, 17th Weapons Squadron, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV
8. August 2003 - July 2004, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
9. July 2004 - September 2005, Chief of Special Technical Operations, United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea
10. September 2005 - April 2007, Chief of Master Air Attack Plans, 609th Combat Plans Squadron, 9th Air Force and United States Central Command Air Forces, Shaw AFB, SC
11. 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, NC
12. July 2009 - June 2010, student, National War College, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, DC
13. July 2010 - May 2012, CSAF Fellow, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC
14. June 2012 - June 2014, Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC 15. June 2014 – April 2016, Principal Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington DC
16. April 2016 – present, Commander, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, NV

Summary of Joint Assignments

1. July 2004 - September 2005, Chief of Special Technical Operations, United States Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea, as a major
2. July 2010 - May 2012, CSAF Fellow, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC, as a colonel
3. June 2014 – April 2016, Principal Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Washington DC, as a colonel

Education

● 1990 Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, TX
● 1991 Master's of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
● 1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
● 1998 Weapons Instructor Course, USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, NV
● 2002 Master's of Business Administration, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
● 2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
● 2004 Master's degree in Military Operational Art and Science, Maxwell AFB, AL
● 2007 Air War College, by correspondence
● 2010 National War College, Fort McNair, Washington DC
● 2010 Master's degree in National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort McNair, Washington DC
● 2010 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC
● 2012 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
● 2012 Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Medals, Awards & Badges

Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal (Merit)
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Medal with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal
Air Force Gallant Unit Citation
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Combat Readiness Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon
Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
Air Force Longevity Service Award
Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
NATO ISAF with Bronze Star
Command Pilot Badge
Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge

Honors

1997 Outstanding Young Texas Exes, The University of Texas at Austin
2009 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Award, National Aeronautic Association

Promotion Dates

● Second Lieutenant: 1 July 1991
● First Lieutenant: 1 July 1993
● Captain: 1 July 1995
● Major: 1 May 2002
● Lieutenant Colonel: 1 March 2006
● Colonel: 1 October 2009
● Brigadier General: 3 July 2016