Lt. Cmdr. Ashley Faires piloted the first all-woman combat mission of an E-2C aircraft for the U.S. Navy in 2012 when she and four crew members completed a multiple-hour mission of tactical combat management, airborne advanced warning, and command and control services over Afghanistan. She is the recipient of the 2016 Purdue Engineering Alumni Association Young Engineering Alumnus Award. She is currently serving at Navy Information Warfare Systems Command in the Space Field Activity (2022).