Washington Air National Guard hosts historic leadership engagement for female Royal Thai Air Force officers

The Washington Air National Guard hosted the first engagement for female leaders in the Royal Thai Air Force Sept. 9-13, 2024, at Camp Murray, Washington.

The engagement aimed to empower female leaders through the State Partnership Program.

The State Partnership Program is designed to build capacity and capability with partner nations’ security, cultivating personal, professional and institutional relationships and train National Guard members for future missions. The formal relationship between the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the Washington National Guard began in 2002, and the two counterparts have since met regularly through exchanges, engagements and exercises to enhance their mutual capabilities, security cooperation, and people-to-people connections that extend beyond military cooperation.

U.S. Air Force Col. Carrie Wentzel, Director of Staff for the Washington Air National Guard Headquarters, led this historic engagement.

“In addition to strategies for building networks, mentorship, and navigating unconscious bias in a male-dominated workplace, I’d like these Royal Thai Air Force officers to walk away with a strong network of female allies who will reinforce their confidence and encourage them to continue their efforts to remove barriers to female retention and advancement,” Wentzel said.

University of Washington’s Milgard Women’s Institute led participants through a leadership style discussion to build awareness of strengths and areas where each officer could develop new skills. Participants heard from two panels and asked questions of successful women, both military and civilian, about how to network and navigate leading in male-dominated career fields. RTAF officers gave a presentation on the role women play in the RTAF and areas of opportunity. Participants also received briefs and tours of the 194th Wing and 194th Air Support Operations Group, 10th Civil Support Team on Camp Murray, Western Air Defense Sector on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the 141st Air Refueling Wing and FEMA Region 10 Homeland Response Force on Fairchild Air Force Base.

RTAF Squadron Leader Karnchanok “Maestro” Chunyaruck, a C130 pilot and one of only seven female pilots in the RTAF, said she felt this engagement could pave the way for future opportunities for women serving in the RTAF.

“We also have many, many talented [non-commissioned officers] but they just don’t have the chance,” Chunyaruck said. “This good beginning might be a good initiative that we can bring back and let those females have the opportunity like us to improve themselves, improve the Royal Thai Air Force.”

Wentzel said she hoped the engagement supported a collective understanding of cultural differences in the organizations and the shared barriers women face in female retention and advancement.

“Women bring a unique perspective and leadership style to the military as well as a distinct way of solving problems,” she said. “This foundation will allow us to develop initiatives and strategies to remove barriers and empower females in our respective militaries.”

The engagement facilitated new and developing friendships to grow between women in both organizations.

“Long-term relationships are critical to building trust and developing a genuine understanding of the challenges we all face as female leaders,” Wentzel said. “These inspiring leaders are paving the way for future female leaders in the Royal Thai Air Force. They are an inspiration to me and other leaders in the Washington Air National Guard.”

The inspiration was mutual.

“My most memorable experience for this engagement is that I got a lot of chances to meet very powerful women in the National Guard,” Chunyaruck said. “I got a chance to share experiences and share some knowledge, and other necessary things that we can bring back to improve our female officers’ careers.”