Alenka Ermenc, born 5 September 1963, is an officer in the Slovenian army and was the first woman to hold the position of Chief of defence within NATO forces.
Alenka Ermenc | |
|---|---|
 Ermenc in 2018 | |
| Chief of the General Staff | |
| In office 28 November 2018 – 14 March 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Alan Geder |
| Succeeded by | Robert Glavaš |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 March 1964 |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Royal College of Defence Studies King's College |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Slovenian Ground Force |
| Years of service | 1991–present[1] |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | 5. Intelligence and Reconnaissance Battalion |
Military career
editErmenc's military career started when she became a member of the Slovenian Territorial Defence forces in Slovenia's independence war from Yugoslavia in 1991.[2]
In January 2006 she commanded the newly created 5. Intelligence and Reconnaissance Battalion of the Slovenian Armed Forces,[3] becoming the first female commander of a battalion of the Slovenian Armed Forces. In May 2009, she became head of personnel of the General Staff of the Slovenian Army before a six-month deployment to Kosovo as part of Kosovo Force, commencing in June of the same year.
She was promoted to the rank of Major General by President, Borut Pahor, on 23 November 2018 at the Presidential Palace.[4]
Later that year, she became Chief of the General Staff, which made her the first woman to hold that position in Slovenia[5] and in NATO.[6][1][7] She was replaced by Robert Glavaš.[8]
Education
editErmenc graduated from the Royal College of Defence Studies in London and went on to complete a master's degree in International Studies at London's King's College.[2][1]
Private life
editErmenc is a mother of three.[2] She is a volunteer with Malteška pomoč Slovenija (Maltese Help of Slovenia), a national chapter of Malteser International, an international non-governmental aid agency for humanitarian aid of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c Reuters (27 November 2018). "Slovenia Appoints First Female Army Chief". VOA news. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
{{cite web}}:|author1=has generic name (help) - ^ a b c Slovenia becomes only NATO state with female army chief, Agence France-Presse / Space War, 2018-11-27
- ^ "Poveljstvo sil praznovalo tri leta delovanja" (PDF). www.mo.gov.si. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
- ^ Slovenian Armed Forces (23 November 2018). "Brigadier General Alenka Ermenc promoted to the rank of Major General". slovenskavojska.si. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ HINA (26 November 2018). "Alenka Ermenc prva je žena na čelu vojske u Sloveniji, ali i šire". 24 Sata (in Slovenian). Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ "Nato state appoints first female head of armed forces". BBC News. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Slovenia Appoints First Female Head of Armed Forces". Sentinelassam.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ STA (15 March 2020). "Morning Headlines for Slovenia: Sunday, 15 March 2020: Govt makes first replacements". total-slovenia-news.com. Total Slovenia News. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Dnevnik.si - Alenka Ermenc kot humanitarka pri malteških vitezih
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