ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the leadership competencies of female general officers, primarily in the Army, who have pushed through the "brass ceiling" to overcome institutional or sociocultural barriers and serve at the highest ranks in the military. It provides unique perspectives on military leadership from active and reserve Army, Navy, and Air Force female colonels and generals, including highlights of impediments and enabling factors that have hindered or helped in their progression. The majority of the generation of women who are eligible for GO rank were commissioned via direct appointment (DA) or through the various branches of Women Officer Training schools. Two studies indicate that military women also face informal institutional barriers. These include "lack of peer support and mentoring, and their token status results in unique pressures including high degrees of visibility, isolation, gender-stereotyping, sexual harassment, and blocked mobility”. Barriers exist, but as one female general officer optimistically stated, "Every soldier that ever served was challenged or tested".
