Defenders All-Female Flight highlights National Women's History Month

Members of the 81st Security Forces Squadron attend an All-Female Flight Guard Mount to receive vehicle, ground and weapons safety briefings inside the 81st SFS building at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, March 30, 2023. The All-Female Flight work day was assembled in recognition of National Women's History Month, which runs through March. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Defenders All-Female Flight highlights National Women's History Month

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ryan Wood, 81st Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, and Victor, 81st SFS military working dog, conducts detection capabilities on vehicles during an All-Female Flight work day at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, March 30, 2023. The flight was assembled in recognition of National Women's History Month, which runs through March. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Defenders All-Female Flight highlights National Women's History Month

U.S. Air Force Officers Diana Arid, 81st Security Forces Squadron base defense operations center controller, and Chitra Wilson, 81st SFS patrolman, report a base incident to leadership during an All-Female Flight work day at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, March 30, 2023. The flight was assembled in recognition of National Women's History Month, which runs through March. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Defenders All-Female Flight highlights National Women's History Month

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Eve Wheaton, 81st Security Forces Squadron patrolman, conducts a radio transmission to the base defense operations center during an All-Female Flight work day at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, March 30, 2023. The flight was assembled in recognition of National Women's History Month, which runs through March. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Defenders All-Female Flight highlights National Women's History Month

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chelsie Suggs, 81st Security Forces Squadron flight sergeant, and Tech. Sgt. Jessica Martinez Santana, 81st SFS flight sergeant, operate the school pedestrian gate during an All-Female Flight work day at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, March 30, 2023. The flight was assembled in recognition of National Women's History Month, which runs through March. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Defenders All-Female Flight highlights National Women's History Month

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jocilyn Carver, 81st Security Forces Squadron entry controller, conducts an ID check at the Division Street Gate during an All-Female Flight work day at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, March 30, 2023. The flight was assembled in recognition of National Women's History Month, which runs through March. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Defenders All-Female Flight highlights National Women's History Month

Members of the 81st Security Forces Squadron pose for an All-Female Flight group photo inside the 81st SFS building at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, March 30, 2023. The All-Female Flight work day was assembled in recognition of National Women's History Month, which runs through March. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Defenders All-Female Flight highlights National Women's History Month

Defensor Fortis: 81st SFS historic all-female flight

Published March 31, 2023
By Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Davis
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --

The first all-female flight of Keesler defenders conducted operations and secured the base on March 30.

Tech. Sgts. Chelsie Suggs and Jessica Martinez Santana, 81st Security Forces Squadron flight sergeants, led the historic all-female flight in honor of Women’s History Month.

Senior Airman Shamari Carter, 81st SFS reports and analysis technician, recalls how she had tried to start support clubs for female Defenders but hadn’t gotten much traction until Suggs and Martinez empowered her efforts.

“I had all these ideas and the two of them helped me – they brought the ‘secret sauce’ we needed to get both female and male defenders to the table to have full participation,” said Carter. “I had all these ideas, they helped make it happen, and here we are with this flight today.”

There are over 38,000 defenders across the Air Force, but women have only been allowed to serve in Security Forces since 1985.

“When I first came into Security Forces, we didn’t even have that many females. Typically, there would be one female on a flight, or one female in the kennels as a military working dog handler, or even just one female working in combat arms as an instructor,” said Martinez Santana. “But now, to be capable to assemble an all-female flight speaks volumes to where our culture is changing.”

The flight secured positions across the installation in entry control, patrol and base defense operations for 12 hours.