Slovenia gets first female army chief

Slovenia appointed Major General Alenka Ermenc as chief of the army, the government said on Tuesday, making her the only woman in charge of a Nato country’s military.

Ermenc is the first woman Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian army. She takes over from her predecessor Alan Geder on Wednesday.Ermenc has served in the army since 1991, the year Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia. She studied at the Royal College of Defence Studies and King’s College University, both in London.

Her promotion comes after a change of government in September when the centre-left Prime Minister Marjan Sarec took power following a June general election. The British-educated Ermenc replaces Maj. Gen. Alan Geder after serving as his deputy. Geder took over Slovenia’s military earlier this year after his predecessor was sacked over poor results in a Nato test.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor hopes Ermenc’s appointment will help improve the performance of Slovenia’s military.“The global trend of a deteriorating security situation continues and even though Slovenia is not directly threatened military-wise, it must improve its military safety relatively quickly,” Pahor said in a statement released by his office.