SLOVENIA on Tuesday became the only NATO country whose army is headed by a woman with the appointment of Major General Alenka Ermenc as chief of staff.

President Borut Pahor, the country’s commander-in-chief, welcomed Ermenc’s appointment and said he expected her to start improving the army’s current poor state, blamed largely on underfunding.

“Major General Ermenc’s appointment was proposed based on her experience as a commander of Slovenian army units, for her contribution to establishing a professional army force and her civil and military education,” the government said in a statement.

A Slovenian army brigade earlier this year failed NATO’s combat readiness test, being assessed as “not combat ready.” The note was improved after additional training and new tests were carried out.

Currently serving as the army’s deputy chief of staff, Ermenc, 55, officially took over the job yesterday.

Ermenc, a mother of three, graduated from the Royal College of Defense Studies in London and went on to complete a master’s degree in International Studies at London’s King’s College University. (SD-Agencies)