For the first time ever, a NATO AWACS mission sortie has been completed with an all-female aircrew.

According to the Alliance, the flight, part of the Alliance’s enhanced vigilance activities, took place on Friday (9 February 2024), and was conducted by twenty-two servicewomen from 8 NATO Allies: Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal and the US.

“The purpose of this flight encompassed our operational mission safeguarding NATO’s borders,” said Captain Béatrice, Aircrew Training Squadron Flight Commander. She explained that it is normal for the E-3A AWACS to have women on the flight or serve as maintainers for the aircraft.

“The flight demonstrates that the mission and every position on board the AWACS can be executed by women,” said Captain Ciara, Aircrew Training Squadron Simulator Operations Chief. “Showcasing the capabilities of the female crew will prove that women are able to perform in traditionally male-dominated occupations in equal capacity.”

According to the 2020 Summary of the National Reports of NATO Member and Partner Nations, the average percentage of women in the armed forces of the NATO Alliance has more than doubled since 1998.

As the Alliance’s mission is to protect its one billion people, NATO believes that women play a vital role in all that is done to build a stronger Alliance that draws on the skills and talents of its diverse population.

“Everyone is unique and brings individual talents to the team, which benefits our operational effectiveness within NATO,” said Technical Sergeant Maddie, 852nd Medical Dental Squadron Laboratory NCO In-Charge.

“By recognising strength in diversity, we can unleash its potential and positively impact the culture at NATO.”

Lisa West
Lisa West
Lisa has a degree in Media & Communication from Glasgow Caledonian University and works with industry news, sifting through press releases in addition to moderating website comments.

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26 COMMENTS

  2. What is the point they are trying to prove here? We all know that women can do the job as well as any man! Why the stupid virtue signalling? In reality how many times is an all female crew going to operate the aircraft.

      • Don’t follow your train of thought here I’ve said that women are more than capable of doing the job! Why is it that they think they have to prove it?

        • Absolutely, you’re spot on in highlighting that women are fully capable of performing any job, just as well as men. The issue at hand isn’t about women needing to prove their abilities; rather, it’s about challenging and changing longstanding societal norms and perceptions.

          The publication of stories showcasing women in traditionally male-dominated roles serves several crucial purposes:

          1. Visibility and Representation: It offers visibility for women in these roles, breaking down stereotypes and expanding the public’s perception of what women can achieve. This visibility is crucial for young girls and women making career choices, giving them a wider array of possibilities to consider.
          2. Inspiration and Role Models: These stories can inspire others by presenting real-life role models. Seeing someone who resembles you in a role you aspire to can be incredibly empowering. It’s about providing tangible examples of success and resilience.
          3. Normalisation: By consistently highlighting women’s successes in various fields, these narratives contribute to the normalisation of women’s presence and excellence in those areas. Over time, this assists in shifting societal expectations and norms, making what is extraordinary today the ordinary tomorrow.
          4. Challenging Bias: Such stories also serve to challenge and confront unconscious biases. They compel readers to confront their own prejudices and assumptions about gender roles, potentially leading to a change in mindset.
          5. Encouraging Conversations: Lastly, these stories spark important conversations about gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. They provide a platform for dialogue about how societies can better support women in all fields, addressing systemic barriers to their participation and advancement.

          Adding to this, comments like “What is the point they are trying to prove here? We all know that women can do the job as well as any man! Why the stupid virtue signalling? In reality, how many times is an all-female crew going to operate the aircraft.” can be counter-productive for several reasons:

          1. Undermining Achievements: Such comments can inadvertently diminish the achievements of women, especially in fields where they are underrepresented, belittling the significance of showcasing these roles.
          2. Ignoring Systemic Barriers: They often overlook the systemic barriers women face in male-dominated industries, underlining the progress being made against these challenges.
          3. Misunderstanding Representation: Suggesting that such stories are merely “virtue signalling” misses the point of representation, which plays a crucial role in normalising women’s presence in various fields.
          4. Halting Progress: Dismissing the importance of these stories suggests a complacency with the current state of affairs, potentially discouraging efforts to push for further inclusion and equality.
          5. Discouraging Solidarity and Support: They risk creating an environment where women’s successes are downplayed or ignored, rather than celebrated.

          In essence, while it’s understandable that some may question the need for such stories, these comments fail to acknowledge the ongoing challenges and the importance of visibility and representation in driving real change.

          Celebrating stories of women in male-dominated fields isn’t just about the individuals involved; it’s about challenging societal norms, inspiring future generations, and contributing to a culture that values and recognises everyone’s potential, irrespective of gender.

          • Wow! George – that is a pretty comprehensive reply at short notice……… and quite right too; I have never had a problem with women being all they can be.

          • Looks pretty ChatGPT to me but very specific so not sure. Fair enough if George has, he shouldn’t need to reply to silly comments like that.

          • I am not a Chatbot, whatever that might be, and I certainly don’t deserve your sneering comment as I was being thoroughly complementary to George anyway, Sailor Boy.

          • My comment referred to George’s reply rather than yours, which was indeed far too succinct and to the point to be a chatbot of any sort. George’s looked to me, in the format and style, very like the output a language generator would produce.
            And, as I said, fair enough, he shouldn’t need to reply to comments like that so if he has written a full reply that’s over and above what’s necessary

    • Why does it annoy you so much to note this milestone? Is it a virtue signal to complain any time someone points out we’re moving on as a society. We have a recruitment crisis and perhaps half the population would quite like to know that the forces have people like them and not just presume it’s an all boys club that excludes them

      • Obviously I’m a dinosaur🙄it doesn’t bother me one bit that capable men women ethnic minorities or whatever are doing a demanding job very well. It should be the norm as these people have been doing the job for years. Why is it now that this even needs to be commented on?

    • Do we all know that? I keep hearing about sexism in the British forces, and this is a NATO operation, encompassing 30 countries’ cultures over three continents. So maybe, just maybe, we don’t.

  3. Did we need a mission to “prove” every AWACS position could be done by a woman? Women have been running AWACS since the 1930’s.

    It’s a bit patronising that anyone in 2024 would think such a stunt is required.

    • Another way to look at it might be to encourage women to sign up to the forces and show that positions like these are no unattainable. Frankly NATO needs as many good recruits as it can get right now. (as an aside we really shouldn’t have got rid of the E-3, at least without a like-for-like numbers replacement of E-7s anyway.)

      • We’ll agree to differ then, however I’m not being critical of the article, I’m being critical of NATO for running the stunt. I would not bat an eye lid at any NATO AWACS aircraft having an all female crew or an all male crew.

        • It may be taken for granted in nations like the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, etc. that women can do this kind of jobs and that careers are available to them, but in many other NATO member states it isn’t all that obvious. That’s why they are doing something like this. Preaching to the choir for us perhaps, but not for many others.

      • George I suspect people are showing a little surprise is because the UK public sector has come a long long way in the past decades. Clearly there have been issues but a lot of people seem to regard those as the exception rather than the rule. There is perhaps a belief that when people stop mentioning these things then this will a greater indicator of progress than anything else.

  5. What does it matter what gender they are as long as they do the job? Why is identity politics considered good for society? Doesn’t it just cause division??

    • It does, but some seem to think this is a sign of progress when really it’s just a stunt that is not practical nor realistic. It’s an overreaction to the prejudice that has been, well in all civilisations for millennia.

      And with the RAF rightly in hot water for going too far to address those historic prejudices and in the process harm our defences and fail in their duty, well…

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