Wolfenbarger tapped to be Air Force's first female four-star

WASHINGTON — Air Force Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger would become the highest-ranking woman officer ever to serve in the Air Force if a nomination forwarded Monday by President Barack Obama is approved by the Senate.

Wolfenbarger would lead Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and become the first female four-star general in the Air Force. The command focuses on development and sustainment of weapons systems. With a yearly budget of $60 billion, it’s the largest Air Force command in terms of funding.

Wolfenbarger now serves as military deputy to the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisitions. Before her current assignment at the Pentagon, she was vice commander at Air Force Material Command, according to her official Air Force biography. She previously held other positions in the command, including director of the Intelligence and Requirements Directorate. Before that, she directed programs and offices connected with the C-17 transport plane, the B-2 bomber and the F-22 fighter.

She is a 1980 graduate of the Air Force Academy and later earned a master’s degree at National Defense University.

According to the Pentagon, Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody, commander of Army Materiel Command, became the U.S. Army’s first four-star general in 2008.

“The secretary strongly supports the president’s nomination, and he believes that General Wolfenbarger is an outstanding Air Force officer,” Pentagon press secretary George Little told American Forces Press Service. “The fact that she would be the first woman to wear a fourth star in the Air Force, if confirmed, is a testament to her skills, experience and dedication.”

Sadly that is what has been wrought by affirmative action; I have no idea whether or not this woman is competent or qualified, though I’m sure they didn’t spend much time looking at Anglo male candidates, and I just assume there is a high likelihood she is a token.

The only way blacks, Hispanics, and women can change these assumptions is by having the truly qualified candidates overturn the system of lowered expectations; nobody is listening to the Anglo and Asian men’s demands to do so.

Thanks for your replies. They were helpful. I’ve been away from Uncle’s military for a long time. Things have changed a lot since my time in service.

I sent my comments to a friend who recently retired from the USAF as a full-bird colonel. I also copied her AF resume from an Air Force web site and included it in my e-mail to him. He tells me:

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She’s obviously book smart. She graduated the same year as me BUT she is an Academy grad.

You can do PME (professional military education) 3 ways. Residence, Seminar, Correspondence. Most superstars (and I think a 4 star would be) do PME by residence. I highlighted a few things that put her on the fast track in my opinion. (He highlighted her positions on weapons platforms such as the C-17, F-22, B2 and positions of responsibility in certain commands).

Promotions can be done a few ways:

1. Timed like most are done (1lt-2 yrs, Capt-4 years, Maj-10 yrs, etc)

2. Promoted because of the new job title in rank only and not pay until your line number comes up like the rest of them. My guess is that this is the case with her. I’ve seen this done often with Generals and rarely Colonels

My old boss always advised to go do whatever you can on the latest weapon system and you will have a successful career. Seems she did that.
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