Celebrating Women's Equality Day at Osan

U.S. Air Force Maj. Samantha Harvey, 51st Operational Support Squadron chief of weapons and tactics, poses for a photo as a part of Women’s Equality Day at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Aug. 17, 2023. Harvey ensures pilots assigned to the 51st Fighter Wing receive the plans, materials and tactical training they need to carry out missions in line with the commander’s intent. In 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the U.S. Armed Forces would lift a ban on women serving in combat. In 2015, the historic change opened up thousands of jobs for women in the military and ensured that as long as female service members met requirements and completed training, they could now serve in almost any role in the military. The opening of these jobs to women allows the installation’s fighter squadrons to gain valuable and beneficial perspective on the battlefield. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Aaron Edwards)