Time magazine named Gen. Lori Robinson, leader of the Pacific Air Forces, one of its 100 most influential people for 2015-2016.
Robinson has been nominated to lead NORTHCOM, and if confirmed would be the first woman to head a combatant command.
Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Army veteran, wrote about Robinson for the magazine, saying she would be a role model for future female troops.
"In the military, a combatant command is the ultimate job. It's the pointy tip of the spear, overseeing the people carrying the rifles and flying the aircraft. Northern Command, created the year after the 9/11 attacks, is also prestigious because it protects our homeland," Duckworth wrote.
"That is such a tremendous commentary on where we are as a nation," she continued. "For years, women were barred from combat roles, closing off their route to the senior leadership. General Robinson's appointment makes clear to every female lieutenant that the top jobs are now open to them."
Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, the leader of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, was also named to the magazine's annual list of influential world leaders, artists and businesspeople.
