The Air Force is rolling back policies that would allow pregnant aircrew members to fly early in their pregnancy and are adding higher scrutiny to those seeking waivers to stay in the skies.
The latest update reverses changes that gave more leeway to pregnant aircrew to fly in the first trimester of their gestation. The guidance, made public by the Air Force Surgeon General's Office on Tuesday, said there is an increased risk of miscarriage within that first 12-week window.
"This change reverts back to the 2019 policy and aligns the Air Force policy with the rest of the Department of Defense," the Air Force Surgeon General's Office said in a news release. "Once aware of a pregnancy, female aviators must report their change in medical status to their provider."
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The past policy changes were seen as a progressive update that gave pregnant aircrew members a choice in seeking a waiver, allowing them to continue to train and move forward in their jobs if they were pregnant and, notably, would also not harm their careers if they chose not to.
Now, under the revised policies, no aircrew are allowed to fly in the early stages of pregnancy, and advocates are concerned that this new policy will create more harmful conditions for those in uniform.
Additionally, under the revised policy, waivers will now have to be approved at the higher major command level instead of by an airman's flight surgeon at their installation.
It also states that, even with a waiver, "pregnant aircrew cannot fly high-performance aircraft or aircraft with ejection seats at any time during pregnancy," citing a lack of definite medical findings on g-force impact.
Retired Lt. Col. Jessica Ruttenber, an Air Force pilot who championed the flying while pregnant policy on the Women's Initiative Team, flew the KC-135 Stratotanker and C-21 during three pregnancies. She said the new changes are not taking a science-based approach to the regulations.
"Quite frankly, I feel like we're going back 20-30 years," Ruttenber told Military.com in an interview Wednesday. "I think they're just responding to something that they perceive as [diversity-related], and it's not. It's about readiness."
The latest change did increase the window in which approved aircrew members can fly, originally between 12 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, up to 32 weeks, stating the "four-week increase from the original policy is supported by medical data indicating that there is no significant risk increase."
The 2019 policy, which Tuesday's announcement reverts back to in some areas, had started to expand the time pregnant aircrew could stay in the cockpit of certain aircraft and altered the level of waiver approvals. Under a 2022 policy clarification, the Air Force previously said that "all pregnant aircrew are authorized to apply for a waiver regardless of trimester, aircraft or flight profile," offering more possibilities.
"Clarifying this policy is about enabling airmen to make an informed, personal decision, and providing support to both the member and the waiver authority," former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. "C.Q." Brown said at that time. He was later fired as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term.
The policy revisions had been seen as a major achievement of the Air Force Women's Initiative Team.
It was one of many volunteer groups aimed at bettering the quality of life for airmen that were quickly shut down under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's tenure this year as part of his crusade against initiatives he deems related to diversity -- largely interpreted to mean those aimed at improving service for minorities, women and LGBTQ+ troops.
Ruttenber said many women don't know they're pregnant in the first trimester. She also added that the new policy takes autonomy away from pilots and makes the waiver policy more difficult. It could also lead some women to not be forthcoming about their pregnancy if it means they will now be grounded.
"This archaic policy is going to force women to hide their pregnancy in the first trimester where they could have gotten medical attention and, if they were high risk, could have found out sooner," she said.
Related: Air Force Ditches Medical Waiver for Some Pregnant Airmen Who Want to Fly Longer
