Nominee to be first female 4-star general of combat forces

Air Force Lt. Gen. Lori J. Robinson has been nominated to be the new commanding general of Pacific Air Forces, which would make her the first U.S. female four-star commander of combat forces, the Pentagon announced last week.

She replaces Gen. Herbert J. "Hawk" Carlisle, who is the new commander of the Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.

Carlisle has commanded PACAF since August 2012. He will replacing retiring Gen. Michael Hostage.

Robinson has been nominated to receive her fourth star, which would make her the second female four-star in the Air Force, the Defense News reported. The promotion is subject to U.S. Senate confirmation.

There are three four-star female generals in the U.S. military.

The Army’s first female four-star, Gen. Ann Dunwoody, was named head of the U.S. Army Materiel Command in 2008 and retired from that position in August 2012.

Air Force four-star Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger has led the Air Force Materiel Command since June 2012.

The Navy this month promoted its first woman to four-star rank when Adm. Michelle Howard was selected as vice chief of naval operations, Defense News reported.

As commander of Pacific Air Forces, Robinson will be the air component commander for U.S. Pacific Command and executive director of the Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

She is currently vice commander of the Air Combat Command at Langley.

Robinson entered the Air Force in 1982 through the ROTC program at the University of New Hampshire.

She served in a variety of positions as an air battle manager, including instructor and commander of the Command and Control Operations Division at the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, as well as chief of tactics in the 965th Airborne Warning and Control Squadron, according to her Air Force resume.

She has commanded an operations group, a training wing and an air control wing and has deployed as vice commander of the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing, leading more than 2,000 airmen flying B-1 Lancer, KC-135 Stratotanker and E-3 Sentry aircraft in Iraq.

In his book "Start With Why," Simon Sinek credits Robinson with being the first woman in the Air Force to command the 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., in 2007. The wing is one of the largest in the Air Combat Command and maintains a fleet of airborne early warning and control aircraft.

She was the first commander of a combat wing who didn’t come up through the pilot ranks, Sinek said.

Robinson also was the first female instructor at the Air Force Fighter Weapons School.

As a captain in 1989-1992, Robinson served in Hawaii as chief of current operations and command briefer at Pacific Air Forces headquarters at Hickam.