'Deeply historic moment': Australia appoints Lt Gen Susan Coyle as first female army chief in 125-year history,
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Deeply historic moment': Australia appoints Lt Gen Susan Coyle as first female army chief in 125-year history,")
File photo of Lieutenant General Susan Coyle. Photograph: (AFP)
She is currently acting as the chief of joint capabilities and will replace Lieutenant General Simon Stuart. Coyle’s appointment came after Australia’s military decided to boost the number of female officers in its ranks.
Australia announced on Monday (April 13, 2026) that a woman would lead its army for the first time in the country's history. The move came as part of a reshuffle of the defence force leadership of Australia. In a statement, the Australian government confirmed that Lieutenant General Susan Coyle will become the Chief of Army in July this year.
Susan is currently acting as the chief of joint capabilities and will replace Lieutenant General Simon Stuart. Coyle’s appointment came after Australia’s military decided to boost the number of female officers in its ranks. It is confronting a surge of accusations involving widespread sexual harassment and discrimination, according to a report by the news agency Reuters.
“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 described Coyle’s appointment as a “deeply historic moment.” "As Susan said to me, you cannot be what you cannot see," he said.
"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. Coyle, 55, 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," Marles said.
Total women's force in Australia's military
Women currently constitute nearly 21 per cent of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and 18.5 per cent of senior leadership roles. The ADF has set a goal for women to make up 25 per cent of its total personnel by 2030. In October last year, a class action lawsuit was launched against the ADF, alleging it did not adequately protect thousands of female officers from systemic sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
On Monday, the government also named Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, the current Navy Chief, as the new head of the ADF, replacing Admiral David Johnston.
Also read: 'Israel cannot live without enemy’: Turkey accuses Netanyahu government of targeting Ankara
