Australia on Monday announced that a woman will command its army for the first time in its 125-year history.
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the current chief of joint capabilities, will take over as chief of army in July, and replace Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, the government said in a statement.
Lt Gen Coyle's appointment comes as Australia's military seeks to boost the number of female officers in its ranks after a plethora of allegations of systematic sexual harassment and discrimination tainted the military.
The army is also in the throes of a major transformation, including equipping itself with long-range firepower, drones, and other modern combat tools.
"From July, we will have the first ever female chief of army in the Australian army's 125-year history," prime minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.
Defence minister Richard Marles called Ms Coyle's appointment a "deeply historic moment", adding: "As Susan said to me, you cannot be what you cannot see."
"Susan's achievement will be deeply significant to women who are serving in the Australian Defence Force today and women who are thinking about serving in the Australian Defence Force in the future," Mr Marles added.
Lt Gen Coyle, 55, during her three-decade-long career in the Australian army, served in the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
She enlisted in the military in 1987 and has held a number of senior command roles. She will be the first woman to lead any service branch of the military, Mr Marles said.
Lt Gen Coyle graduated as an officer from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Academy in 1992 and went on to become the head of information warfare, commander of Joint Task Force 633 and the commander of Task Group Afghanistan.
She was appointed the chief of joint capabilities in July 2024, where she leads space and cyber domains and National Support for Defence.
Lt Gen Coyle is also a mother of three children that she shares with her husband, who also serves in the military.
Jennifer Parker, an expert associate at the Australian National University, said Lt Gen Coyle’s appointment “had been a long time coming and is well overdue”.
She told the Sydney Morning Herald that Lt Gen Coyle had experience in space and cyber capabilities, as well as traditional army platforms, which made her well-placed to learn lessons from modern conflicts.
Women currently make up around 21 per cent of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and 18.5 per cent of senior leadership roles. The ADF has set a target of 25 per cent of overall participation for women by 2030.
Last October, a class action lawsuit was filed against the ADF alleging it failed to protect thousands of female officers from systematic sexual assault, harassment and discrimination.
The government on Monday also appointed Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, the current chief of the navy, as the head of the ADF, succeeding Admiral David Johnston.
Vice Admiral Hammond reportedly played a key role in the 2021 Aukus defence pact signed by US, UK and Australia to counter China's growing aggression in the Pacific.
Mr Marles said Vice Admiral Hammond had “been right at the heart” of the plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines under the defence pact and had done an “incredible job” as navy chief since 2022.
The current deputy chief of navy, Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley, will replace Vice Admiral Hammond as head of the branch.
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