Lieutenant General Susan Coyle has been appointed as Australia’s first female chief of army.
She is also the first women to be appointed head of any of the services in the Australian military.
Lieutenant General Coyle enlisted as a soldier in the Army Reserves in 1987.
She has worked at the tactical, operational and strategic levels and in command roles, including Head Information Warfare, Commander Forces Command, Commander Joint Task Force 633, Commander 6th Brigade, Commander Task Group Afghanistan and Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment.
Her appointment was among a series of military leadership changes announced by the Federal Government this week.
Subject to the Governor General’s approval, the changes will take effect from July 2026.
The Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond has been named as the Chief of the Defence Force.
Vice Admiral Hammond has had a distinguished career, spanning 40 years, in the Royal Australian Navy serving in frigates, and extensively in and later commanding submarines and the Australian Fleet.
The current Chief of the Defence Force, Admiral David Johnston will retire in July.
Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley will promoted as the Chief of Navy.
Rear Admiral Buckley has served in Oberon and Collins class submarines, including commanding HMAS Collins and commanding the Submarine Force. He was the Head of Nuclear Submarine Capability at the Australian Submarine Agency, before becoming Deputy Chief of Navy in January 2025.
