Appointing Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith as next Army chief would send out 'fantastic signal'
Appointing Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith as the next chief of the British Army would send out a "fantastic signal", a military expert has said.
Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith, the first female Army officer to hold that rank and the highest-ranked female officer in British Army history, has been tipped to become the next Chief of the General Staff, replacing General Sir Patrick Sanders, who is set to leave the role next year.
Expert Louise Jones said Lt Gen Nesmith has a "formidable record" and appointing her Chief of the General Staff would be "interesting" due to her career path.
"It would be a fantastic signal I think to just have someone who is not from the traditional infantry background which would almost be a bigger breakthrough than the fact that she is a woman, and obviously, that would be nice to see."
She added: "It would also be interesting because her background is not necessarily on frontline commands, she's been much more involved in capability.
"At the moment, the MOD is really struggling in that area, so bringing in somebody with that experience, I can see there being a lot of positive advantages."
The expert says there's an argument that Lt Gen Nesmith, currently Deputy Chief of the General Staff, should have "a role in between" before potentially becoming Chief of the General Staff or even the Chief of the Defence Staff at some point.
"Perhaps there is another command that she could do to get a bit more experience at the general level," Ms Jones said.
She added: "If they decide they're going to go for this real focus on the Army [needing] to be ready to fight in a land war or to contribute kit and equipment to a land war, then they'll be looking for someone whose service so far has been really centred around the armoured infantry or the cavalry.
"If they decide… actually it's about this global influence, this global reach, then they'll be looking for somebody who's got more experience in, for example, ex-special forces."
She added that the British Army is "at a crossroads", with the choice of the next head of the service giving an indication of the Army's priorities.
And as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace searches for a replacement, the Army has to make a decision on "what it wants to focus on".
Meanwhile, the head of Britain's Armed Forces has said rumours that the head of the British Army is being forced out are "nonsense".
Adm Sir Tony Radakin denied claims that Gen Sanders had been forced out for publicly calling for more troops and increased military spending, saying he knew he would serve two years when he started.
And, Defence Secretary Mr Wallace explained that Gen Sir Patrick was not leaving the appointment early, but had only been appointed to the position for two years as he had already served three years as a four-star Strategic Command head.
The Chief of the General Staff is usually a three-year appointment.
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