First female head of combat command has Montgomery ties
Rebecca Burylo
Pending confirmation, Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson is set to become the first woman to lead a combatant command.
President Obama named Robinson, who has educational ties to the Montgomery area, as the new head of U.S. Northern Command in March. She will soon be charged with defending the U.S. homeland.
The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the nomination Tuesday.
One of only two generals in the Air Force, Robinson was recently named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people for 2015-2016.
After entering the Air Force in 1982 through the ROTC program at the University of New Hampshire, Robinson served at Maxwell in 1986, where she attended Squadron Officer School.
She later returned to Alabama, earning a Master's in Leadership and Management from Troy State University in 1992.
READ MORE: Alabama's first female in combat begins her journey
Robinson currently serves as the leader of the Pacific Air Forces and said her pending appointment to Northern Command, one of the nine combatant commands in the U.S. military, is an honor.
"I am truly humbled to be considered to lead the Airmen, soldiers, sailors and Marines of USNORTHCOM," she said. "There is no greater honor for a military officer than to be nominated for command.
"If confirmed, I look forward to tackling the challenges and opportunities of defending North America with a truly incredible Joint team."
The Northern Command oversees the military's homeland defense and the surrounding water up to 500 miles off the coast.
She has previously served as the vice commander of the Air Combat Command and the deputy commander of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command.
Robinson's nomination requires confirmation by the Senate.