Tokyo Amy Bauernschmidt is the rarest of the rare.
Il 51enne fa parte di un gruppo selezionato di ufficiali della Marina degli Stati Uniti: The commanders of il 11 aircraft carriers in the US fleet.
Cap. Bauernschmidt is the only woman in that group. Infatti, she’s the only woman ever to command a US aircraft carrier, the largest and among the most powerful warships afloat.
“(Suo) easily one of the most incredible jobs in the world,” ha detto alla CNN.
Most people would consider that an understatement.
Bauernschmidt commands the USS Abraham Lincoln, a 97,000-ton, 1,092-foot Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. With around 5,000 persone a bordo, it’s the equivalent of a small city at sea.
It’s also one of the centerpieces of US military might. Più di 60 aircraft are aboard the Lincoln, Compreso F-35C stealth fighters, the most advanced warplanes in naval aviation.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, davanti, and other warships sail in formation during a US-Japan bilateral exercise.
US aircraft carriers “are ready to control the sea, conduct strikes, and maneuver across the electromagnetic spectrum and cyberspace. No other naval force fields a commensurate range and depth of combat capabilities,” a US Navy fact sheet says.
“In times of crisis, the first question leaders ask is: ‘Where are the carriers?'” the fact sheet says.
Bauernschmidt says answering that call is a privilege.
“There’s absolutely no more humbling sense of responsibility than to know that I was selected to lead the men and women that have chosen (per) defend our nation,” she told reporters on a recent visit to the warship during maneuvers off Japan.
Growing up in Milwaukee, Bauernschmidt knew she had an affinity for the sea. “I have always loved the water, and swam and rowed competitively,” lei dice. But joining the Navy was more practicality than ambition.
Cap. Amy Bauernschmidt, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, speaks with media before the ship gets underway for a deployment in San Diego, California, a gennaio 3, 2022.
“I came upon my service in a roundabout way.” lei dice. “I knew I would be paying for my college education and I wanted to find a major I was not only interested in pursuing but would allow me to find a job to repay student loans.”
With a strong interest in math and science, and that love of the water, she settled on a major in ocean engineering.
Only a handful of colleges offered it, the US Naval Academy in Maryland being one. With tuition paid, it was the choice for Bauernschmidt.
But when she arrived at the campus in Annapolis, the thought of being the first woman to command an aircraft carrier wasn’t even something she thought possible.
“Assolutamente no. I didn’t even understand this was an option when I first started on this adventure,” Bauernschmidt says.
When she entered the Naval Academy, it wasn’t an option.
It was only in November of 1993 — six months before Bauernschmidt’s graduation from that Naval Academy — that Congress passed legislation allowing women to serve on US Navy combatant ships.
Quella “changed almost everything about women’s service in the Navy,” Bauernschmidt says.
A few months before graduation, Naval Academy midshipmen are allowed to request their first assignments. Bauernschmidt chose aviation and began the path to her current command.
She learned to fly helicopters, became a flight instructor, deployed on destroyers and aircraft carriers and eventually commanded a helicopter strike squadron.
She then attended the Naval War College, earning a Masters degree in strategic studies before serving in the US Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.
Cap. Amy Bauernschmidt, commanding officer of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
After that Bauernschmidt attended the Navy’s Nuclear Power School, learning the science and engineering behind naval nuclear power plants in what Naval Sea Systems Command calls “the most demanding academic program in the US military.”
She’d need that knowledge aboard the Lincoln, which is powered by two nuclear reactors, as she became the executive officer, the second in command, nel 2016.
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Almost five years later, after a stint commanding the amphibious transport dock USS San Diego, Bauernschmidt took command of the Abraham Lincoln.
“Each new job and opportunity strengthened my leadership, and challenged me to be the best version of myself,” Bauernschmidt says.
“I’ve had a phenomenal career where I’ve been given incredible opportunities.”
Even jobs she didn’t really want were opportunities, lei dice.
“Sometimes you will learn the most and grow the most in a situation or job you did not want to be in or to do.
“Not every job I’ve done in the Navy is a job I wanted, but I learned and took everything out of every job I could,” Bauernschmidt says.
Even though she’s risen to a powerful position, Bauernschmidt acknowledges the many challenges still faced by women in the Navy.
As of December 31, solo 20% of the Navy’s active duty force of 342,000 personnel are women, according to the service’s demographic data.
The USS Abraham Lincoln makes history as thousands of service members deploy from San Diego Naval Air Station North Island under Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, the first woman to lead a carrier in US Navy history, in San Diego, California on January 3, 2022.
As a Department of the Navy gender relations survey from February relates, “social media is filled with anecdotes and shared experiences about instances of sexism, discrimination, accessing help, and reporting and seeking justice for sexual harassment and sexual assault. It’s clear there are challenges that must be overcome for meaningful change.”
“These are challenges bigger than the military,” Bauernschmidt says. “We constantly work to improve the environment and sailor programs to support our most important resource — our people during their careers.”
At Bauernschmidt’s rank of captain and above, the Navy’s gender gap is even more stark. Solo 13% di quelli 3,075 officers are women, Navy data shows.
So Bauernschmidt does feel an extra sense of responsibility as the first woman to command an aircraft carrier, but she seems to see it as evolutionary, not revolutionary.
“While women have accomplished a lot, I look forward to the day we don’t have to celebrate firsts,” lei dice.
Bauernschmidt says support she’s had from the entire Navy community was crucial in getting her to that bridge on one of the biggest warships in the world. And she says she’s still learning now.
“Overcoming any challenge for me starts with ownership — know your job and do your job to the utmost of your ability every day. It is hard to argue with someone doing exceptional work supporting the mission and the team,” lei dice.
Families wave to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as it deploys from San Diego in January.
The thousands of sailors she leads challenge her and keep her growing, lei dice.
“La leadership è difficile,” Bauernschmidt says.
“To effectively lead a team, Dipartimento, or command, you have to understand the organization and yourself. You have to meet them where they need a leader and you have to know yourself well enough to know how to meet them where they are,” lei dice.
Her advice to those under her command, and to anyone with aspirations: follow through on a daily basis.
“I try not to just complete a task, but own the outcome of my work,” lei dice.
For inspiration herself, she quotes an NFL superstar, Arizona Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt: “Success isn’t owned, it’s leased and rent is due every day!”
Pay that rent, and you might find yourself with one of the rarest jobs in the world: commander of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
