SEATTLE —
In her more than 20 years in the Navy, Angie Koogler has made history not once, but twice. Both times, paving the way for other women in the military.
Koogler first made history in 2016 as one of the first enlisted women to join the submarine community. Then, in 2022, she became the first woman to become Chief of Boat on a submarine, the highest-ranking enlisted person on a sub.
Despite more than 100 years of women in the Navy, the submarine community was one of the last to allow women in. In 2010, the ban that barred women from submarines was lifted. The following year, the first female officers joined the ranks. Then in 2016, enlisted females joined. Koogler was part of that group.
Koogler said at first, the transition was difficult.
“Coming to a command that a lot of the men have never worked with females, so they weren’t sure how to treat us," Koogler said. "They’ve done a lot of things on submarines over the years that was okay but when you bring a lot of different people into the group it’s not so okay with everybody."
It wasn’t just a transition regarding who was allowed to serve on submarines. The submarines had to also update physical layouts to accommodate women as well. This process is still in the works, with plans to further expand access for women.
“The submarine force in general, we’re limited to specific classes of boats, and as we move on through the years, there’s a plan to convert all of the boats to be mixed gender, which I think is going to open up a lot more doors,” Koogler said.
As she holds a position that would not have been an option for her when she first joined the Navy 20 years ago, she said she hopes this inspires other young women to continue to push for equality. However, she’s proud of where she is not because of her gender, but because of her abilities.
“There’s not male and female sailors, a sailor is a sailor. So if you’re able to do the job, and whatever physical aspects there are of that job, I think you should have the opportunity to do it,” she said.
Even after a full career, Koogler is not done moving up the ranks. Her goal is to become Command Master Chief after her current tour on the USS Louisiana.