SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- As Gen. Maryanne Miller, Air Mobility Command commander, prepares to retire after a 39-year career, Lt. Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, AMC deputy commander, has been nominated as her successor.
Van Ovost and Miller marked the first time in history that an Air Force major command has been led by both a female commander and deputy. If confirmed, Van Ovost will pin on her fourth star, assume command of AMC, and, upon Miller’s retirement, become the highest-ranking female in the United States military.
“I am honored and humbled by the nomination to serve as the next commander of Air Mobility Command,” Van Ovost said. “I look forward to the opportunity to build upon the incredible work of Gen. Maryanne Miller and the commanders who served before her, ensuring the success of the air mobility enterprise and its people who make up the heart of our global reach mission every day.”
Van Ovost has led at all levels of the Air Force and her technical expertise as a pilot ranges from heavy airlift aircraft to nimble fighter jets. She began her Air Force career flying the C-141 Starlifter, became a test pilot and subsequently flew over 30 different aircraft, accumulating more than 4,200 flight hours.
She commanded a refueling squadron at McConnell AFB, Kansas, served as vice commander of the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center and commanded the 89th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, responsible for one of the Air Force’s no-fail missions: safely transporting the president and our nation’s most senior leaders.
“I have no doubt Lt. Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost will be an extraordinary leader for our Mobility Airmen,” Miller said. “She has served exceptionally, most recently in direct support of our Air Force chief of staff and secretary, and I am excited for the future of AMC with her at the helm.”
Van Ovost is nominated to offer her broad leadership and expertise to AMC during an unprecedented time in our nation’s history. AMC provides rapid global mobility every day, no matter the circumstances, and is at the forefront of the DoD’s effort to support American and global needs in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, moving patients, delivering life-saving supplies and developing new technologies to execute the mission safely.