Canada's Defense Staff to be Led by a Woman for the First Time

Lieutenant-General Jenny Carignan will become the first woman appointed as the head of Canada's Defense Staff, as announced by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's press service.

The lieutenant-general will also hold the rank of Army General. Carignan is the first woman to lead the Canadian Armed Forces. Over the last 35 years, she has held various positions within the armed forces, including in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Syria. In 2008, she became the first woman to command a Canadian combat unit.