First Female Army General

Croatia’s President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Ivo Josipović has on Tuesday officially granted Brigadier Gordana Garašić the temporary rank of General, and in doing so made her the first ever female General in the Croatian army…

Josipović made the decision based on the proposal of the Minister of Defence according to its constitutional and statutory authority. Garašić is to take up a post in Afghanistan where she will be a Gender issues adviser for Operation Commander ISAF. Upon her return her General status is expected to be made permanent.

It is not Garašić’s first mission to Afghanistan, she completed a six month spell there in 2010 where she worked in the Department of Personnel in Regional Command North. Croatia’s first female General, who has a law degree, started her career in 1994 and has held a range of responsibilities over the past decade, including  adviser with the Croatian representation to NATO and the EU, and Assistant Advisor to the President of Croatia for Defence matters.