WASHINGTON, Mar 19: US President Barack Obama has decided to nominate Air Force General Lori J Robinson to lead all military forces in North America, making her the first woman to lead a military combatant command.
“I want to congratulate Gen Lori Robinson, who will soon be nominated to serve as commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and US Northern Command (NORTHCOM),” the US Defence Secretary, Ashton Carter, said in a statement after the White House confirmed the news in this regard.
“The President does intend to nominate General Lori Robinson to be the next commander of NORAD and US Northern Command. General Robinson is an extremely talented Air Force officer,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
She currently serves as the Commander of US Air Forces Pacific.
She has served in a variety of leadership positions in the Air Force, and she has distinguished herself as a particularly effective leader.
“The President is pleased to be making this historic announcement. This is the first time that a woman would serve in the position of being a combatant commander, and there is no question that she is eminently qualified and exactly the right person for the job,” Earnest said.
“She has served our military with distinction and has been a pioneer and trailblazer from her first days as an officer,” Carter said adding that Robinson’s remarkable abilities as a commander and strategist have been proven over more than three decades of dedicated service to the US Air Force.
Her most recent responsibilities as air component commander for US Pacific Command, leading more than 45,000 airmen and overseeing operations at an intense operational tempo covering half the globe have demonstrated that she is supremely qualified to lead NORAD and NORTHCOM.
“Gen Robinson has excelled in a wide array of leadership positions where training, force structure, and readiness are paramount,” Carter said.
“Her deep operational experience will enable the men and women of NORAD and NORTHCOM to continue building upon the excellence they have demonstrated under Adm. William Gortney’s strong and steady leadership in this critical command,” the US Defence Secretary said.
The former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is all set to become the first woman presidential nominee of a major party, welcomed the decision.
“Congratulations Air Force General Lori Robinson— America’s first female combatant commander,” Clinton said in a tweet. (PTI)
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