Slovenia has become the only NATO country to appoint a woman as chief of its military.
Major General Alenka Ermenc will officially take up her post as the chief of the General Staff at a ceremony in Ljubljana on November 28.
The 55-year-old Ermenc previously served as the army's deputy head.
President Borut Pahor, Slovenia’s commander-in-chief, welcomed her appointment on November 27, and expressed hope she will improve the military’s performance.
"The global trend of a deteriorating security situation continues and even though Slovenia is not directly threatened military-wise, it must improve its military safety relatively quickly," Pahor said in a statement.
Prime Minister Marjan Sarec said that Ermenc’s appointment demonstrated the maturity of Slovenian society.
The British-educated Ermenc began her military career in 1991, the year Slovenia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia.
Slovenia was the first ex-Yugoslav republic to join NATO and the European Union, both in 2004.
The Alpine nation of some 2 million people has approximately 7,500 soldiers, including active and reserve forces.