Pentagon Nominates Ann Dunwoody for 4-Star General

By: Chris Guy
Published On: 6/24/2008 12:09:16 AM


From Senate Armed Services Committee Member Hillary Clinton (D-NY):
"Today another glass ceiling has been shattered in our nation with the nomination of a woman to the rank of General for the first time in the history of America's armed forces. Lieutenant General Ann Dunwoody's nomination not only reflects her own remarkable achievements as an officer, but also serves as a symbol of the tremendous strides by women who serve this country in uniform. I congratulate her on this groundbreaking achievement and look forward to considering her nomination as it comes before the Senate Armed Services Committee."

This is big news, I'm a little stunned I haven't read this on any other blogs (yet). If this promotion is confirmed by Congress, Dunwoody would be the first female 4-Star General in the Army's history and supplant retired Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy as the highest ranking woman ever in the armed forces.

And since we're on the subject...

Dark Horse VP Candidate Alert: Since retiring, Kennedy has become a staunch Democrat. According to Wikipedia, Democrats in Virginia approached her in 2002 about running for Senate against John Warner. She endorsed Kerry for President in 2004, Eric Massa and Patrick Murphy for Congress in 2006, Clinton for President in 2008, and has been an outspoken critic of "don't ask, don't tell."

Cross-Posted at Fred2Blue


Comments



Not Just In the Army's History (HisRoc - 6/24/2008 10:25:52 PM)
Ann Dunwoody will be the first woman military officer of any of the armed services to reach four-star rank.  While it is true that all the military services have been looking for an opportunity to promote a woman to the top rank, don't for a minute think that her gender played any significant part in her nomination.  She has been respected for over 30 years by all of her peers and colleagues as the comsumate Army leader and professional logistician.  There is no favoritism in the military when it comes to selecting the handful of four-star officers--the stakes are just too high.  Just as Colin Powell became the first black Chairman of the JCS purely on merit, Ann Dunwoody has achieved a similar distinction on the same basis.

As to Senator Clinton's remarks, there is no "glass ceiling" in the military.  It is a reinforced steel honeycomb armored ceiling imposed by Congress.  Public law prohibits the assignment of women service members to "direct combat roles," such as Infantry, Armor, direct fire Artillery, and attack Aviation in the Army.  Since these are the traditional career paths that lead to the top ranks, women find it difficult to compete.  There is nothing sinister or covert about it, it is just a fact of life.  Women in combat support roles have the same opportunity for top rank as men in combat support roles.