Who’s Who in Defense: Tammy Duckworth, Chairwoman, SASC’s Subcommittee on Airland

By Catherine Macaulay on March 18, 2021 at 4:25 PM

Chairwoman, SASC’s Subcommittee on Airland

Responsibilities

Duckworth’s appointment as Chair of SASC’s Airland Subcommittee comes on the heels of a new ruling by the Democratic caucus to distribute authority evenly across the SASC while extending leadership opportunities to junior senators on Senate subpanels.
A member of SASC since 2019, the Army veteran and former Black Hawk helicopter pilot leads this key subcommittee responsible for Army, Air Force, National Guard and Reserve planning and operations policy and programs, not including special operations, space and cyber, and nuclear weapons in the Air Force.

Legislative Priorities/Positions

Co-chair of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Co-sponsored the South China Sea and East China Sea Sanctions Act aimed at halting Chinese claims of jurisdiction within disputed zones (2019).
Founding member of the Senate’s Environmental Justice Caucus (2020).
Credited with helping save the Americans with Disabilities Act (115th Congress).
Co-sponsored the bill to resolve Iran’s nuclear program through diplomatic measures (117th Congress). Last year, Duckworth publicly addressed the Senate on the issue, calling for diplomacy amid escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran following the ballistic missile attack on U.S. Forces in Iraq.

Quote

“I have friends who’ve done 8, 9,10 tours of Iraq—who go back each time knowing they’ll probably be back on that same stretch of sand in a couple of years, who proudly answer the call because they believe us when we tell them that will make America safer and more secure. We need to honor that, and their willingness to show up, to carry out the mission.” – 2020 Senate speech.

Political/Military/Professional Career

Elected to the Senate in 2017. Committee assignments include: Committee on Environment & Public Works; Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation and its subcommittee—Aviation and Space.
Served in the House (8th District) from 2013 to 2016, representing parts of Cook County, DuPage County and Kane County, IL. A member of HASC for the duration.
Up for re-election in 2022.
Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011 (Obama Administration).
Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (2006 to 2009).
Army National Guard (1992-2014). Duckworth was shot down in 2004 while flying a helicopter in Iraq, resulting in multiple amputations. Awarded the Purple Heart. Despite her physical limitations, she earned a license to fly a fixed-wing airplane in 2010.

Education

University of Hawaii – BA in political science – 1989.
George Washington University (GWU) – MA in International Affairs – 1992.
Capella University, Minneapolis (accredited online) – PhD in human services – 2015.

Personal

Ladda Tammy Duckworth was born March 12, 1968, in Bangkok, Thailand, the daughter of Lamai Sompornpairin and Franklin Duckworth, a veteran of the Army and Marine Corps who later worked with the United Nations. Upon entering the country, Lamai, a non-U.S. citizen, was separated from her family for six months while navigating the American immigration system.
Duckworth recently co-sponsored a bill to reform the current immigrant visa system. The proposed legislation gives immigrants an earned path to citizenship.
Married for nearly three decades to Bryan Bowlsbey, a fellow cadet she met while enrolled at GWU’s ROTC program. A retired major in the Army National Guard, Bowlsbey is Joint Regional Security Stacks Migration Manager at VAE, headquartered in Springfield, VA. They have two daughters.