Susan Coyle to become first woman to lead Australian army

Lt Gen Susan Coyle, an officer with more than three decades of service, will become the first woman to lead the Australian Army.

Susan Coyle has been announced as the new Chief of Army, with her term set to begin in July, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Announcing her appointment, Defence Minister Richard Marles described Susan Coyle as a “standout candidate” to lead the Army.

The current Chief of Navy, V Adm Mark Hammond, has been promoted to Chief of the Defence Force, replacing the retiring Adm David Johnston.

Announcing the appointment, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Hammond “has had a distinguished career spanning 40 years in the Royal Australian Navy”.

“V Adm Hammond will continue to bring valuable insight to the role of chief of the defence force.”

Hammond joined the navy in 1986 as an electronics technician before becoming a naval officer two years later. He served on the Collins class of submarines, commanding the HMAS Farncomb across the Indo-Pacific, and was posted as an assistant naval attache in Washington DC.

Hammond became head of navy in July 2022, overseeing work on the multibillion-dollar Aukus nuclear submarine deal.

“This is probably the most humbling moment in my career,” he told reporters. “I certainly look forward to serving with and for Australia’s sailors, soldiers and aviators as their chief of defence force through the challenging times ahead.”

Rear Adm Matthew Buckley, the current deputy chief of navy, will be appointed on promotion to replace Hammond as chief of navy.

Coyle, who joined the army reserve in 1987, graduated as an officer from the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1992.

She held positions as head of information warfare, commander of Joint Task Force 633 (in the Middle East) and commander of Task Group Afghanistan.

Coyle has commanded troops on deployment to Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

In July 2024, Coyle was appointed chief of joint capabilities, responsible for the ADF’s cyber and space commands, as well as information warfare. The mother of three, whose husband also serves in the military, holds postgraduate master’s degrees and is a distinguished graduate of the US Army War College.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev