Canada marked a historic milestone with General Jennie Carignan becoming the nation’s first female chief of the defense staff.

Gen Carignan succeeded General Wayne Eyre, who had held the position since 2021. Throughout her service in the Canadian Army, she has commanded troops in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, and Syria.

“I feel ready, poised and supported to take on this manifold challenge,” Carignan said at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

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“Conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, heightened tensions elsewhere around the world, climate change, increased demands on our personnel at home and abroad, and threats to our democratic values and institutions are but a few of the complex challenges we need to adapt to and counter,” international media quoted Carignan as saying.

Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Lt-Gen Jennie Carignan as the first woman to lead the nation’s military.

“I am confident that, as Canada’s new chief of the Defense Staff, she will help Canada be stronger, more secure, and ready to tackle global security challenges,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time.

Gen Jennie Carignan, a highly decorated soldier, is a mother of four, two of whom serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.