Air Force General Lori Robinson to be 1st woman to lead a US combatant command

U.S. Air Force General Lori Robinson, Pacific Air Forces commander, addresses Airmen at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam July 10, 2015. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Katrina M. Brisbin/Handout via Reuters)

General Lori Robinson, Pacific Air Forces commander, addresses U.S. and Singapore Airmen in front of an F-22A Raptor during the Singapore International Airshow, at Changi International Airport, Singapore, in this file photo taken February 17, 2016. (U.S. Air Force/Capt. Raymond Geoffroy/Handout via Reuters)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will name the first woman to head a U.S. combatant command, selecting Air Force General Lori Robinson as the next head of the military’s Northern Command, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday.

The position, which is subject to Senate confirmation, is one of the most senior in the U.S. military and would make Robinson — who now leads U.S. air forces in the Pacific — the top general overseeing activities in North America.

“General Robinson, it just so happens, would also be the first ever female combatant commander,” Carter said, disclosing Obama’s plans to nominate her.

“That shows yet another thing — which is that we have, coming along now, a lot of female officers who are exceptionally strong. And Lori certainly fits into that category,” Carter said at an event hosted by Politico.

Carter also announced Army General Vincent Brooks, the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, would be nominated to become the next commander of U.S. Forces in South Korea.