Nirmala Sitharaman was appointed as India’s first full-time woman defence minister on 3 September. She takes over the portfolio from senior BJP minister Arun Jaitley who hailed the decision as a “very significant landmark”.
Others commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s of having six women ministers in his Cabinet, including two in the powerful Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) – External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and of course, Sitharaman.
Here’s a list of women holding the post of defence ministers across the globe.
More power to these boss ladies!
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, South Africa
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was appointed as South Africa’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans by President Jacob Zuma in June 2012.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Netherlands
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The Dutch politician has been the Minister of Defence since 5 November 2012.
Martha Elena Ruiz Sevilla, Nicaragua
She’s been the Nicaragua’s defence minister since 2013.
Raychelle Omamo, Kenya
Omamo serves as Kenya’s Secretary of Defence and is the county’s first woman to hold the post.
Mimi Kodheli, Albania
Kodheli is the first woman to be appointed to the post of the defence minister of Albania.
Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, Norway
A member of the Conservative Party of Norway, she was appointed as the minister of defence in 2013.
Ursula von der Leyen, Germany
Ursula von der Leyen is the first woman in the history of Germany to be appointed to the post in 2013.
Roberta Pinotti, Italy
A modern literature degree holder, Pinotti has been taking care of the portfolio since February 2014.
Marina Pendeš, Bosnia and Herzegovina
A graduate in electrical engineering, Marina has served as the defence minister since 31 March 2015.
Andreja Katič, Slovenia
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A former municipality employee, Katič currently is the Republic’s Minister of Defence.
Marise Payne, Australia
Payne was promoted to Australia’s first female Minister for Defence, in the Malcolm Turnbull Government, on 21 September 2015.
María Dolores de Cospedal, Spain
Cospedal was appointed Minister of Defence by Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on 3 November 2016.
Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh
Hasina, who is the present Prime Minister of Bangladesh, also holds the post of the defence minister. But the MoD of Bangladesh does not exercise command authority over the Bangladesh Armed Forces.
Radmila Šekerinska, Republic of Macedonia
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She has also served as the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and National Coordinator for Foreign Assistance of the Republic of Macedonia before becoming the defence minister.
Florence Parly, France
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Parly was named France’s Minister of the Armed Forces on 21 June 2017.
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