USN TO NASA - Kayla Barron

"She Was a Pioneering Navy Submarine Officer.  Now She's Headed to Space" by Karli Goldenberg, Military.com 6/18/2021

Lt. Cmdr. Kayla Barron, one of the first women to serve on a Navy submarine, is now one step closer to being one of the first women to walk on the Moon.

Barron, 33, who commissioned as a Navy officer in 2010, was selected by NASA out of a pool of approximately 18,000 people to join the 2017 astronaut candidate class.

Barron is no stranger to firsts.  When the Navy first began the process of integrating women into submarine crews in 2010, during her senior year at the Naval Academy, Barron became a member of the first class of women commissioned into the submarine community.

"I think I've been lucky to be in the right place at the right time for some of these big changes, the submarine force being a great example.  They opened the community to women during my senior year at the Naval Academy, allowing me to volunteer to serve in that community," Barron said.

She would ultimately serve on the Ohio-class ballistic submarine Maine, where she'd complete three patrols in the job of division officer.

For her first spaceflight, Barron will serve as a mission specialist for the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station.  The mission is slated for launch "no earlier than Sunday Oct.  31," according to a NASA Commercial Crew Program post.

In addition to the upcoming SpaceX Crew-3 mission this fall, Barron is also set to take part in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to "send the first woman and next man to the Moon" by 2024.

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For Barron, though, it's not about being the first, it's about striving for her personal best.

"I don't think I really like to latch onto being the first," she said.  "For me, I want to find the opportunities that will be the most challenging, the most developmental and will allow me to serve in the best way I can given what I think I can bring to the table."

Barron, who still serves on active duty in the Navy, said her service with the submarine force gave her the confidence to apply to be an astronaut.

"My experiences on the submarine were really formative, and were ultimately what gave me the confidence to even think that I could apply at all to become an astronaut, let alone eventually become one," she said.

Following two years of training to build basic skills and create a strong foundation for astronaut candidates, including Survival, Evasion, Resistant and Escape, or SERE, training with the Navy in Redington, Maine, Barron became a NASA astronaut.

"I definitely rely on my experience from the submarine force, every single day in my role at NASA," Barron said.  She had a breakthrough in conceptualizing space, she said., when she started thinking of the space station like a submarine.

"The parallels are really endless," she said.  "In my opinion, just like you can imagine, you know human beings trying to live and work in an environment where human beings aren't supposed to live and work, whether that's under the surface of the ocean or in the vacuum of space.  So you face a lot of really similar challenges."

As one of two submariners in the astronaut office, Barron said she brings unique experience and an "operational mindset" to the upcoming mission.

"It really takes ... an understanding of how to bring everybody's knowledge, experience and skill sets to the table in order to make strong decisions operationally that not only keep everyone safe but also accomplish all the goals you're trying to make," Barron said.  "Really understanding how to bring that team together is something that I really think I can contribute to our mission, that operational understanding and experience."

As Barron continues her work as an astronaut, she said that she is particularly inspired by the women who paved the way for her.

"Here at NASA, we walk the halls with our heroes," she said.  "They're amazing women who were the first to command a space shuttle or the first woman to command the space station.  It feels like I'm just a part of that lineage and I'm really standing on the shoulders of people who've paved the way in order for me to be there.  I've just felt really lucky that people have seen the value and my experience and perspective and have really given me the opportunity to challenge myself and continue to grow in these various environments."

AMERICAN MILITARY - Mishandling of Misconduct

First I am retired Navy (22yrs Vietnam Vet) and I am both appalled but not surprised by this attitude of the Marine Corps.  They have always been a macho male dominated arm of our military and have really never accepted that women should serve, especially the top commanders.  Note their statement, "refers to an allegation of misconduct regarding the wrongful appropriation and distribution of personal information."  They are coming back at her for releasing the video and not even addressing her complaint.  And she is supposed to trust "the opportunity to meet with senior representatives in her command?!" 

 

"Marine Whose Misconduct Was Cited in Viral Video Faces Administrative Separation, Officials Say" by Gina Harkins, Military.com 2/19/2021

Marine leaders on Friday met with a woman who appeared in a now-viral TikTok video complaining that a general officer was allowing a man who admitted to mistreating her a chance to remain in uniform, officials said in a statement.

Officials with II Marine Expeditionary Force provided few details about the case, saying only that the video "refers to an allegation of misconduct regarding the wrongful appropriation and distribution of personal information."

"The current administrative separation process for the accused perpetrator mentioned in the video is ongoing," Capt. Angelica Sposato, a spokeswoman for II MEF, said Friday.  "The Marine in the video is safe and has been afforded the opportunity to meet with senior representatives in her command."

The video, first posted Thursday on the social media site TikTok and later shared on Twitter, was viewed by the Defense Department's most senior leaders.  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the video "deeply disturbing" during a press conference Friday.

"We have to get the facts, we have to understand what just happened," Austin said.  "Let me also say that I care about each and every one of our troops, and certainly I'm going to ask that her chain of command makes sure that someone is looking out after her needs and make sure that we're taking care of her."

The video shows a woman in uniform crying as she reacts to finding out another Marine she claimed admitted to sexual misconduct against her would be allowed to remain in the Corps.

"This is exactly why ...  females in the military f---ing kill themselves," the woman yells through her tears.

Sposato, who said the Marine accused of misconduct is facing administrative separation, did not provide a timeline on when the process is expected to be complete.

"The Marine Corps and the Nation expect the highest standards of conduct from Marines and Sailors," she said.  "Those who do not uphold these standards will be held accountable in accordance with Marine Corps and Department of Defense policy.  We take all allegations of prohibited conduct and activities seriously to ensure our people are fully supported with appropriate resources specific to the nature of an incident."

Austin has made dealing with the military's sexual assault and harassment problems a top priority.  Last month, he ordered top defense leaders to report to him on the programs in place to combat the problem, along with proof to show they're working.

The Marine Corps, Sposato said, is committed to maintaining a culture of dignity, respect, fairness and trust.