USN First Female Four-Star

Admiral Michelle Howard
(Washington, D.C.)

Adm. Michelle Janine Howard became the highest-ranking female officer in the history of the U.S. Navy on Tuesday, when she was given a fourth star and assumed the role of Vice Chief of Naval Operations.

“Her accomplishment is a direct example of a Navy that now, more than ever, reflects the nation it serves — a nation where success is not borne of race, gender or religion, but of skill and ability,” Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said during a ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, according to a Navy press release.

Congratulations!