Denmark opened the door for women to become fighter pilots in the early 1990s, but, so far, it has had only one woman graduate from its three-year preliminary pilot screening program. That woman—2nd Lt. Line Bonde—now is completing the Euro-Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard AFB, Tex. She’s not through with training yet, though. Back in Denmark she still has to spend a year in an F-16 training squadron before she can hope to move to an operational squadron.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.