Air Force Secretary Sheila Widnall Tuesday announced her resignation as the service's top civilian official. Widnall was the first female secretary of any military service.
In letters to Secretary of Defense William Cohen and President Clinton, Widnall said she will resign Oct. 31 to return to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was a member of the faculty for 28 years before joining the Defense Department in 1993.
"I take particular pride in the fact that I was able to serve as the first woman service secretary. It has always been my intention to see the Air Force through its 50th anniversary and then return to academia," Widnall said.
During Widnall's tenure, the Air Force saved the troubled C-17 airlifter program, and saw the first flight of the F-22 fighter.
At the same time, the Air Force significantly downsized its workforce and ran into trouble retaining pilots.
In a response to her resignation, Cohen praised Widnall for leading the Air Force through the difficult downsizing and Defense restructuring process of the past few years.
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