Alenka Ermenc, born 5 September 1963, is an officer in the Slovenian army and was the first woman to hold the position of Chief of defence within NATO forces.

Quick Facts Chief of the General Staff, Preceded by ...

Alenka Ermenc
Ermenc in 2018
Chief of the General Staff
In office 28 November 2018 – 14 March 2020
Preceded by	Alan Geder
Succeeded by	Robert Glavaš [sl]
Personal details
Born	(1964-03-01) 1 March 1964 (age 60)
Children	3
Alma mater	Royal College of Defence Studies King's College
Military service
Branch/service	Slovenian Ground Force
Years of service	1991–present[1]
Rank	Major General
Commands	5. Intelligence and Reconnaissance Battalion

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Ermenc's military career started when she became a member of the Slovenian Territorial Defence forces in Slovenia's independence war from Yugoslavia in 1991.^[2]

In January 2006 she commanded the newly created 5. Intelligence and Reconnaissance Battalion of the Slovenian Armed Forces,^[3] becoming the first female commander of a battalion of the Slovenian Armed Forces. In May 2009, she became head of personnel of the General Staff of the Slovenian Army before a six-month deployment to Kosovo as part of Kosovo Force, commencing in June of the same year.

She was promoted to the rank of Major General by President, Borut Pahor, on 23 November 2018 at the Presidential Palace.^[4]

Later that year, she became Chief of the General Staff, which made her the first woman to hold that position in Slovenia^[5] and in NATO.^[6][1][7] She was replaced by Robert Glavaš [sl].^[8]

Ermenc graduated from the Royal College of Defence Studies in London and went on to complete a master's degree in International Studies at London's King's College.^[2][1]

Ermenc is a mother of three.^[2] She is a volunteer with Malteška pomoč Slovenija (Maltese Help of Slovenia), a national chapter of Malteser International, an international non-governmental aid agency for humanitarian aid of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.^[9]