AS IT IS 2016-05-14 First US Woman to Lead Combatant Command

AS IT IS 2016-05-14 First US Woman to Lead Combatant Command

The first woman to lead one of the largest U.S. military commands officially began the job on Friday.

Air Force General Lori Robinson is the new head of the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace¹ Defense² Command (NORAD).

Robinson accepted her new duties during a ceremony at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is replacing Navy Admiral Bill Gortney, who is retiring.

Robinson is the first woman to lead one of nine unified³ U.S. combatant commands. Each command operates under a single commander.

The NORTHCOM command includes the U.S. mainland, Alaska, Mexico, Canada, parts of the Caribbean Sea and surrounding waters.

NORTHCOM is mainly responsible for civilian⁴ support and homeland security while also supervising NORAD, according to the U.S. Defense Department. Both NORTHCOM and NORAD are responsible for protecting U.S. and North American airspace.

NORTHCOM was created after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks against the United States. The Defense Department says its job is to “deter⁵, prevent and defeat threats and aggression⁶ aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests.”

Before Friday, Robinson commanded Pacific Air Forces, a Defense Department statement said. Pacific Air Forces is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the world. It supports 46,000 Air Force members, serving mainly in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter nominated Robinson to her new position in March. During her nomination⁷ hearing, she told a U.S. Senate committee that “defense of the homeland is a sacred responsibility and the No. 1 mission of the Department of Defense.”

She added that the United States currently “faces many challenging threats from within and abroad.” Among the threats she named were home-grown violent extremism, cyberattacks, and trafficking of drugs and other illegal products by international criminal organizations.

Robinson is one of only two female four-star generals in the Air Force, according to The Associated Press.

Words in This Story

assume – v. to take or begin to have power over something

transfer – n. the act of moving something or someone to another place

combatant – n. person or nation engaged in fighting during a war

deter – v. to discourage someone from doing something

sacred – adj. regarded with great respect and reverence

1 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

6 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

7 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。