New Delhi: In a significant move that not only breaks the gender barrier but also reflects the changing nature of warfare, Australia has chosen a woman to lead its army, appointing Lieutenant General Susan Coyle to the army chief post.
Interestingly, Australian navy chief Mark Hammond, a submariner who played a key role in the 2021 AUKUS pact between the US, UK and Australia, will head the nation’s Defence Force.
Former submarine commander Matthew Buckley will replace Hammond as the chief of navy.
Defence experts noted that the changes reflect the growing importance of modern technology-driven warfare and focus on underwater capabilities rather than the traditional outlook.
Having enlisted as a soldier in the Army Reserves in 1987 before earning a science degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy and graduating from the Royal Military College in 1992 into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, Coyle will take over from Gen Simon Stuart following his retirement.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said Coyle’s appointment was “a deeply historic moment, one that should be noted”, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Susan Coyle will be the first woman to lead the Australian Army. She now joins a small list of woman officers who have risen through the ranks to the top post. In July 2024, Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan was appointed as Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff, the first woman to hold the post.
In November 2018, Major General Alenka Ermenc was appointed as the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, becoming the first woman to lead an army in a NATO member state. In June 2024, General Dame Sharon Nesmith was appointed as the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, becoming the highest-ranking female officer in British history and the first woman to hold the rank of general.
Lt Gen Coyle is currently serving as the Chief of Joint Capabilities since July 2024 and leads Australian Defence Force’s Space and Cyber Domains and National Support for Defence.
Her past appointments include Head, Information Warfare, Commander, Forces Command, Commander, Joint Task Force 633, Commander, 6th Brigade, Commander, Task Group Afghanistan and Commanding Officer, 17th Signal Regiment. She has been deployed to Timor Leste, Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and West Asia.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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