At a military installation at Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA, a Nigerian woman named Amanda Azubuike was promoted to Brigadier General in the US Army.
Azubuike, who is of Nigerian descent, was born in London, England, and entered the US Army in 1994. After successfully completing the Army Aviation Officer Basic Course, she advanced to the rank of aviator.
General James Rainey, commander of the US Army Futures Command, praised Azubuike for her strong leadership qualities and said that she makes everyone around her better.
She had an 11-year career in aviation before continuing on in the Army as public affairs and relations officer.
Azubuike previously held the position of Chief of Staff/Senior Military Advisor at the Office of the Secretary of Defense and is currently a Deputy Commanding Officer at the US Army Cadet Command. She also held the positions of Director of Public Affairs at the Joint Force HQs-National Capital Region/Military District of Washington and Chief of Public Affairs at the United States Southern Command, Fort Lauderdale Area.
Read Also: Aviation workers protest and shut down Lagos airport over the sacking of colleagues
She also worked in public relations for the Washington Redskins, an NFL team, and as a communications consultant for the National Football League Players Association.
In addition to her military training, Gen. Azubuike holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College and a Master of Professional Studies in Public Relations/Corporate Communications from Georgetown University. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mass communication/media studies from the University of Central Arkansas.
In part, her profile with the US Army states that “Azubuike graduated from flight school as a UH-1 pilot in 1995. She began her military career as a platoon leader with the 924th Aviation Support Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia.
Later, she was appointed as the Aviation Company, Multinational Force, and Observers’ Platoon Leader and Flight Operations Officer in Sinai, Egypt. She completed the Fixed Wing Multi-Engine Qualification Course and Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course before joining the 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation) in South Korea as an Operations Officer and RC-12 pilot.
“After her assignment in South Korea, Colonel Azubuike was assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, as the Commander of Alpha Company, Victory Brigade. After attending the Public Affairs Officer Qualification Course, Colonel Azubuike was assigned to the Coalition Forces Land Component Command in Kuwait from July 2005 through June 2006, where she served as a Public Affairs Operations Officer.
“She was then assigned to the U.S. Army Central Command’s Headquarters at Fort McPherson, Georgia. After attending, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Colonel Azubuike then served as the Chief of Media Relations and Public Affairs Operations Officer with the U.S. Army Central Command’s Headquarters at Fort McPherson, Georgia. Although she was assigned to Fort McPherson, she spent much of the time in Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
