Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Maj. Gen. Dawn Dunlop, Special Access Program Central Office director, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, poses for a photo in front of an F-22 Raptor at Edwards Air Force Base, California Feb. 20, 2019. Dunlop was accompanied by more than 80 fellow female aviators to take part in filming of an Air Force Recruiting Service television commercial. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenji Thuloweit).Fighter pilot embodies ‘Captain Marvel’ spirit
                        
                        
                        Maj. Gen. Dawn Dunlop, Office of the Secretary of Defense Special Access Programs director, poses for a photo in front of an F-22 Raptor at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 1, 2019. Dunlop was accompanied by more than 80 fellow female aviators to film an Air Force Recruiting Service television commercial. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenji Thuloweit)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        From left to right: Brig. Gen. Kristin Goodwin, Commandant of Cadets of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Maj. Gen. Dawn Dunlop, Special Access Program Central Office director, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, Air Force Recruiting Service commander, pose for a photo at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Feb. 20, 2019. The generals were accompanied by more than 80 fellow female Airmen to take part in filming of an Air Force Recruiting Service television commercial. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenji Thuloweit).Fighter pilot embodies ‘Captain Marvel’ spirit
                        
                        
                        From left to right: Brig. Gen. Kristin Goodwin, U.S. Air Force Academy commandant of cadets, Maj. Gen. Dawn Dunlop, Office of the Secretary of Defense Special Access Programs director, and Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, Air Force Recruiting Service commander, pose for a photo at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 1, 2019. The generals were accompanied by more than 80 fellow female Airmen to film an Air Force Recruiting Service television commercial. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenji Thuloweit)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Fighter pilot embodies ‘Captain Marvel’ spiritPublished March 22, 2019
                    
                    By Giancarlo Casem
                    
                    
                    412th Test Wing Public Affairs
            **EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) --**In early February, roughly 80 female pilots gathered together on Edwards Air Force Base, California, to take part in the video filming of an Air Force Recruiting Service commercial. The commercial was made to coincide with the release of the new film “Captain Marvel,” which also involved filming at Edwards AFB.
One of the Airmen showcased in the recruiting video was Maj. Gen. Dawn Dunlop. Dunlop currently serves as the Office of the Secretary of Defense Special Access Programs director. She is also the highest ranking female fighter pilot in the Air Force today. Earlier in her career, Dunlop served as the 412th Test Wing commander, the first woman ever to command a Test Wing.
“It was really quite remarkable,” Dunlop said. “My first thought was how appropriate it was that this event was taking place at Edwards (AFB), a base known for many firsts, and my second thought was how proud I was to see so many talented young women aviators making a positive mark on our Air Force. It is always special for me to come back to Edwards (AFB) and walk the flight line where I’ve spent much of my career as a test pilot.”
The men and women at Edwards AFB have enabled virtually every breakthrough in U.S. military aviation history from the first jet aircraft, to X-planes on the edge of space, to today’s F-35 Lightning II development. Dunlop said she thought it was appropriate that the Edwards AFB flight line became the stage for so many women aviators, representing just how far the service has come since it first opened the doors for women pilots in 1980 and combat pilots in 1993.
In 1988, Dunlop was the top graduate in her class at the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB. Dunlop then became the first woman to become a fighter test pilot and the first woman to fly the F-22. She said the test pilot environment at Edwards AFB during that time contributed to her success.
“With only a few women pilots across the service, change took time. To put this in perspective, from 1993 until 2015, I was the only woman pilot in many of my squadrons. I was fortunate in my first operational squadron to meet a few great, and forward thinking, men; often with daughters or sisters, who were instrumental in paving the way for my acceptance, and ultimately my success,” she said. “And I’ve had other assignments where I felt completely on my own. The test pilot world had fewer cultural barriers to overcome, which was one of the attractions for me to make that transition.”
The diversity seen in the Air Force’s recruitment video highlights the positive effects diversity has had on the Air Force, effects that may not be easily seen. A more diverse force affords the Air Force and military in general to better recruit the most talented and innovative people possible, she said.
“Today there is much data on the correlation between diversity and success in an organization and much has been written on the value of diversity in the workplace to include improved productivity and innovation, increased retention and broader success,” Dunlop said. “Being more inclusive, casting wider nets for the best talent and measuring what matters are just as important for the military as they are for business.

“It took some time, but I think it is well understood that high standards and strength in diversity are complementary, not competing, objectives. And to remain the best Air Force in the world, we need to harness the strength that comes from diversity of thought, perspective, experience and approach.”
According to the Air Force Personnel Center’s current demographics information, women comprise about 20 percent of the total force, while only 6 percent of all pilots are women. Dunlop says that while becoming a female aviator is still a relatively unique career choice, she hopes young people understand that joining the Air Force is a viable opportunity for everyone.
“I think we’d all like for every girl and boy to know their future is unbounded and that with hard work and education and talent they can be whatever they can imagine,” Dunlop said. “Unfortunately, I still come across too many children who, at a young age, have limited their goals based on careless comments from the adults in their lives. As one of the most respected professions in the country we can play a powerful role in shaping our military future and our nation’s future by being a visual representation for today’s children; that there are no limits on what they can imagine for themselves.”
Dunlop said while being a woman aviator today is still a very unique career choice, today’s women seem to find more acceptance and support, which she expects will lead to increased opportunities and better retention.
“At the beginning, there was a lot of discovery on where Air Force policies had gaps and we just had to do our best to fill in the blanks,” Dunlop said. “When I arrived at (RAF) Lakenheath in 1995 there was one big changing room for everyone and some of the combat gear didn’t fit well. I could work around these issues, which were easier to manage than the negative attitudes about women in combat that made the job more difficult than necessary.”
While some may consider Dunlop and her contemporaries as trailblazers, she attributes her success to friends and supervisors who helped shape her career outlook.
“I consider myself very fortunate in the timing I’ve had as well as the opportunities, but it was truly my friends and supervisors who stretched my thinking and my aspirations who allowed me to achieve more than I expected,” she said. “Perhaps by definition a trailblazer, but just as the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) or Tuskegee Airmen, I was fortunate in my timing to be able to pursue a profession that allowed me to serve, that challenged me, shaped me, and provided a great sense of purpose.
“It also ultimately helped to open doors that needed to be opened. As a nation which prides itself on equality, opportunity, excellence and innovation, we cannot remain best in the world if we don’t allow everyone to compete and reach their full potential.”
For young people thinking about joining the Air Force, Dunlop said she urges them to consider it. From someone who didn’t come from a military family, she attributes some of her career success to mentors who have helped push her.
“I’d say to them, ‘we need you; we need your talent and your innovation to help keep our nation strong and our future secure. And in exchange we offer you unbounded opportunity as part of an exceptional team of like-minded Americans, doing important work, delivering solutions to today’s complex challenges, and sharpening each other to become the best you can be,’” Dunlop said. “I didn’t come from a military family and had no grand Air Force aspirations. I only had great mentors who showed me what was possible, and the desire to be my best.”
Dunlop said with this approach, in a career spanning 30 years, she’s found herself flying F-15 Strike Eagles on the deck in Europe; flying the F-22 Raptor at 60,000 feet at Mach 2; teaching lieutenants to fly in the T-38 Talon; working in the Senate and with the White House and responsible for 6,000 people working to deliver 316 programs to help further strengthen the military.
“My advice for young people: always give your best, communicate your goals and seek feedback on how to reach them, and don’t easily accept a ‘no’ answer from someone not empowered to give a ‘yes,’” Dunlop said. “I’ve had a hugely rewarding career, and if I can do it anyone can.”Edwards AFB 



women's history month 



412th Test Wing 



Captain Marvel 



women 



military women 



OSD 



Office of the Secretary of Defense 



AF 



Air Force 



Air Force Recruiting Service 



F-35 



Lightning II 



F-15 



Strike Eagle 



Air Force Base Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil