Second Lieutenant Kaitlyn (Kait) Abbott hails from Yorktown, Virginia. She enlisted in the Virginia National Guard in the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP while in ROTC at Christopher Newport University. She majored in Political Science, with double minors in Middle Eastern and North African Studies and National Security Studies. She is employed in the civilian sector as a wargame planner for Booz Allen Hamilton, where she has worked at the Joint Forces Staff College and J7: Joint Wargaming and Experimentation Division (JWED, and J7: Allies and Partners Division.
2LT Abbott commissioned as a Chemical Officer in 2017, and her assignments include Platoon Leader at the 229thChemical Co., 329th RSG; and Chemical Staff Officer at 1-111th Field Artillery, 116th IBCT. She served on the COVID-19 Response Task Force with the 34th CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) for most of 2020 and transitioned directly into the D.C. Capitol Response mission in the wake of January 6th. Her awards include Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, and Humanitarian Service Medal.
She is currently serving on the People First Task Force at a by-name request from the Headquarters of the Department of the Army (HQDA) to assist in the overhaul and redesign of the sexual harassment and sexual assault program. She was pulled onto Active Duty from the National Guard to serve in this capacity after Army Senior Leaders noticed her advocacy.
2LT Abbott met her husband at an Army training in 2015. They have been together for five years and married for three. They have one dog together and currently are stationed at the Pentagon and reside in Northern Virginia. 2LT Abbott is active on Twitter and can be found at @CallsignBarbie.