Husband of new army chief Susan Coyle to serve under her authority

Australia on Monday said a woman would lead its army for the first time in history, as part of a reshuffle of ​the country's defence force leadership.

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the current chief ‌of joint capabilities, will become chief of army in July, the government said in a statement. She will replace Lieutenant General Simon Stuart.

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.

"Susan is married to Colonel Mark Coyle, an engineer in the Army, and together they have three wonderful and mostly charming millennials – Jessica, Susie and Jack. Her hobbies include attending musical theatre, reading anything and travelling anywhere," said a government statement.

Her appointment as Australia's army chief was widely welcomed by not only in Australia but also by hundreds of people from Europe and the US, who hailed the government for the decision. 

The government's announcement also sparked some funny reactions, with one fan writing, "I feel since a lot of regulations come from the Chief of Army’s authority the dynamic of having a Service Chief as your wife would be new level of funny.

If Mark were to discharge he’d get a certificate signed by his wife. Or if he were promoted or made redundant it’d be on her authority.

I’m sure they’ll handle it very professionally, but at home I’d have a giggle about the situation."

Another said,"Yet imagine what the world could be like if we had women running it… Would we have all these wars ?"

"I'm fairly certain you don't get to be put in that position unless you're sharp, switched on and focused," said another.