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    Susan Coyle to be first woman to lead Australian army in ‘deeply historic moment’
    Australia

    Susan Coyle to be first woman to lead Australian army in ‘deeply historic moment’

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    28 Comments

    1. Apart_Watercress_976 on

      Cool story sis, but are any of the old generals going to go on trial for the war crimes that occurred under their command?

      A new shine and polish on the same old unaccountability is not that much to celebrate.

    2. ValuableLanguage9151 on

      I’m sure this will be welcomed as an experienced person getting their deserved promotion. Won’t see any sexist nonsense or allegations of “woke”

    9. iball1984 on

      And she started as a reservist! Rising all the way from the bottom.

      I wish her well in the role.

    10. Shingaion on

      Good luck to her. Seriously.

      Although her appointment sounds like a knee-jerk reaction to stave off any attention surrounding ADF controversies. Like “quick, do something noble so the public suckers think we’re acting instead of talking”

    12. lolitsbigmic on

      Interesting pick being her background is in cyber warfare. Given the learnings of Iran and Ukraine, these areas are becoming far more important than conventional force projection and defence.

    13. Sieve-Boy on

      Pretty sure the ABC did a short segment on her a few years back when she was taking over the defence cyber operations (exact name escapes me), she struck me as sharp, switched on and focused.

      edit: u/ConanTheAquarian has found the video in a comment below this. Thanks.

    14. Aggravating_Fact9547 on

      Can we please now get women some proper formal uniform. These blouses are a disgrace and make us look like nurses serving food at a retirement home.

    16. Infinite_Dig3437 on

      “She’s never fought on the front line how can she lead men” – expect to see this on Facebook and twatter

    17. Emergency-Acadia-124 on

      In case people weren’t aware. The chief of army is not the chief of the defence force (being army, navy and airforce combined). She’s one step down from running the whole show.

      Still obviously a very significant role.

      I don’t understand why people fixate so much on the fact she is a woman. It detracts from the primary goal of selecting people on merit. You say, on the one hand, that being a woman had nothing to do with her appointment, and, on the other, that a woman being appointed is such a big deal. Her appointment as a woman should be entirely unremarkable precisely because women are no less capable than men.

    19. MissMenace101 on

      The fragile men in this post upset someone that had to work twice as hard to get the job on merit is embarrassing. People that probably wouldn’t even pass the psyche test. Misogyny holds you back, as you can see women will keep pushing through it to thrive. Do better or enjoy being a lose

    22. nanolucas on

      I was genuinely confused how someone with the rank of Lieutenant General (which certainly didn’t sound like the highest rank of General) could be the Chief of Army. Turns out the Army’s ranks page explains it all very clearly: [https://www.army.gov.au/about-us/ranks](https://www.army.gov.au/about-us/ranks)

      >Lieutenant General is the second-highest active rank in the Australian Army. The Rank of Lieutenant General is held by the Chief of Army. The rank is also held when an Army Officer is the Vice Chief of the Defence Force, the Chief of Joint Operations, or the Chief of Capability Development. The rank of Lieutenant General is referred to as ‘three star’ rank.

      And for those like me wondering how you can get higher than LTGEN if she’s already in the top spot of the army:

      >General is the highest active rank of the Australian Army. **The rank of General is only held when an Army Officer is appointed as the Chief of the Defence Force**. The rank of General is referred to as ‘four star’ rank.

      Similarly I was wondering about this part of the article:

      >The current chief of navy, V Adm Mark Hammond, has been promoted to chief of defence force, replacing the retiring Adm David Johnston.

      I was wondering how a Vice Admiral (again a rank that didn’t sound like the highest rank) could be the Chief of the Defence Force, but I’m guessing it’s the exact same structure as the army (although the Navy website doesn’t explain these things as clearly as the Army website: [https://www.navy.gov.au/about-navy/ranks](https://www.navy.gov.au/about-navy/ranks) Either way, I’m assuming this means Hammond is getting a promotion to Admiral.

      So I guess Australia only ever has one 4 star across our whole defence force at any time? TIL

    23. Silver_Detective8630 on

      Chief of the Army is a very difficult position especially with the BRS and SOCOM allegations. I wish her all the best in this challenging position.

    24. Material-Painting-19 on

      My experience over thirty years of working is that women who make it to positions of seniority have to be three times better than the men who make it to the same level. I bet she’s amazing.

    28. Cindy_Marek on

      By the way this appointment has nothing to do with her gender, she is a very competent leader. Meritocracy rules