By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen | Arizona Republic
Barbara Barrett, the former ambassador and Arizona gubernatorial candidate who married the former CEO of Intel, will be nominated to be the next secretary heading the U.S. Air Force.
President Donald Trump announced his decision with a tweet on Tuesday.
“I am pleased to announce my nomination of Barbara Barrett of Arizona, and former Chairman of the Aerospace Corporation, to be the next Secretary of the Air Force,” Trump tweeted. “She will be an outstanding Secretary! #FlyFightWin”
Barrett, 68, of Paradise Valley, is a certified jet pilot and is the first civilian woman pilot to land an F-18 fighter on an aircraft carrier. She is close to Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., a retired Air Force combat pilot.
If confirmed by the Senate, Barrett would replace Heather Wilson, who is stepping down from the post she’s held since 2017 to head the University of Texas, El Paso.