Air Force chief pledges to triple maternity leave

Stephen Losey | Air Force Times

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James on Tuesday said that one way or another, the Air Force will triple its paid maternity leave benefit to 18 weeks.

In an online town hall, James promised to follow the lead of the Navy. The Navy originally only offered six weeks of paid maternity leave, as required by the Pentagon. But in August, the Navy began offering an additional 12 weeks of additional maternity leave a new mother can take within the first year of her child's life.

James said she believes the extended maternity leave will be included in the second round of the Pentagon's Force of the Future initiatives, which she said would likely be unveiled in the next month or two.

But if the new Force of the Future plans do not extend maternity leave, James said she will act on her own.

"I am prepared to use my authority as secretary of the Air Force," James said. "I believe in what the Navy did, I think it was the right thing to do, and we're going to do the same thing. I'm here to tell you, it's coming."