President Donald Trump has nominated Colonel Lorna M. Mahlock to be Marine Corps brigadier general.

If Mahlock is sworn in, she will be the first black woman to hold the position. Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced the nomination via a press release on April 11.

Mahlock is currently the deputy director of operations, plans, policies and operations directorate at the Marine Corps' headquarters in Washington D.C. According to her LinkedIn profile, she previously worked in Okinawa, Japan, as a commandeering officer. While in Okinawa, she supervised over 1,300 troops and civilian workers and $250 million in equipment. In 2014, she oversaw the Marine Corps’ manpower legislative portfolio and was a liaison for the House, Senate and Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Mahlock is a Marquette University alumna and graduated with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. She earned a master’s in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma. She also holds master’s degrees from the U.S. Army War College and the Naval War College.

This development is a sign of progress in the smallest branch of the military. Only eight percent of Marines are female, the smallest number of all four branches of the military. Additionally, black people comprise only 6 percent of the Marine Corps.

In 2017, an unidentified officer became the first female infantry officer, a military occupational specialty (MOS). MOS positions were not open to women until 2016.

col. lorna m. mahlock

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