Biden Likely to Break Gender Barriers in Choice of Pentagon Head

In 2010, then-Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michele Flournoy talks with Marines Lt. Gen. John Paxton. Flournoy, a politically moderate Pentagon veteran, is regarded by U.S. officials and political insiders as a top choice for President-elect Joe Bide to choose to head the Pentagon. AP
November 17, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to take a historic step and select a woman to head the Pentagon for the first time, shattering one of the few remaining barriers to women in the department and the presidential Cabinet.

Michele Flournoy, a politically moderate Pentagon veteran, is regarded by U.S. officials and political insiders as a top choice for the position. Democrats have long sought to name a woman to the top post in a department that didn’t open all combat jobs to female service members until about five years ago. Flournoy had been the expected choice of Hillary Clinton if she had won the 2016 election. Her name surfaced early as a front-runner for Biden’s Cabinet, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

Read more: Biden likely to break gender barriers, pick Defense Dept. veteran Michele Flournoy to lead Pentagon (marketwatch.com)

In 2010, then-Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michele Flournoy talks with Marines Lt. Gen. John Paxton. Flournoy, a politically moderate Pentagon veteran, is regarded by U.S. officials and political insiders as a top choice for President-elect Joe Bide to choose to head the Pentagon. AP
November 17, 2020

Biden Likely to Break Gender Barriers in Choice of Pentagon Head

In 2010, then-Defense Undersecretary for Policy Michele Flournoy talks with Marines Lt. Gen. John Paxton. Flournoy, a politically moderate Pentagon veteran, is regarded by U.S. officials and political insiders as a top choice for President-elect Joe Bide to choose to head the Pentagon. AP
November 17, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to take a historic step and select a woman to head the Pentagon for the first time, shattering one of the few remaining barriers to women in the department and the presidential Cabinet.

Michele Flournoy, a politically moderate Pentagon veteran, is regarded by U.S. officials and political insiders as a top choice for the position. Democrats have long sought to name a woman to the top post in a department that didn’t open all combat jobs to female service members until about five years ago. Flournoy had been the expected choice of Hillary Clinton if she had won the 2016 election. Her name surfaced early as a front-runner for Biden’s Cabinet, said officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

Read more: Biden likely to break gender barriers, pick Defense Dept. veteran Michele Flournoy to lead Pentagon (marketwatch.com)

Latest News

Women at the Center of Rwanda’s Peacebuilding and Recovery

NEWS
January 8, 2026

Women have been central to Rwanda’s peacebuilding trajectory since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, a period marked by extreme violence, including the systematic use of sexual violence as a tool of genocide

Read News Item

Rwandan Women Peacekeepers Lead Action

NEWS
January 8, 2026

Rwandan Women Peacekeepers Lead Action Against Gender-Based Violence in South Sudan

Read News Item

The Continuing Challenge of Violence Against Women in Rwanda

NEWS
January 8, 2026

Violence against women continues to be a major human rights challenge in Rwanda.

Read News Item

Winnie’s Story - Choosing Policing as my career

NEWS
December 18, 2025

Read News Item

Critical Analysis of Rwanda’s Women, Peace and Security Agenda

NEWS
November 11, 2025

Rwanda has often been cited as a global leader in advancing gender equality, particularly in governance and peace building.

Read News Item

Resilient Leaders, Powerful Mentors: Women in Rwanda’s Security Institutions Inspiring Change

NEWS
October 10, 2025

The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the Rwanda National Police (RNP) are security institutions and platforms of transformation, resilience, and mentorship.

Read News Item

Rwandan Female Police Officers Scaling Heights Of Policing Career

NEWS
May 30, 2019

May 30, 2019: In March 2019, the United Nations expressed its gratitude to a Rwandan Police Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Teddy Ruyenzi, for her outstanding role in UN peacekeeping. ACP Ruyenzi, who is among the top most senior police officers at the rank of ACP, leads a trail-blazing force of 160-strong all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) in the Republic of South Sudan under the United Nations Mission in Southern Sudan (UNMISS).

Read News Item

Rwanda to send all-woman peacekeeping force to South Sudan

NEWS
July 10, 2018

July 9, 2018: Rwanda is set to send an all-female formed police unit for deployment in South Sudan under the UN peacekeeping mission, the Rwandan police said Tuesday. The contingent is the first female team to be sent on a foreign mission by the country.

Read News Item