A Nigerian woman Amanda Azubuike has been promoted to Brigadier General of the United States Army at a military base in Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA.
Azubuike was born in London, United Kingdom, to Nigerian parents, and joined the US Army in 1994 where she rose to the position of an aviator after passing the Army Aviation Officer Basic Course.
The US Army Futures Command Commander, General James Rainey, showered accolades on Azubuike’s quality leadership traits saying she “makes everyone around her better.”
Read also: Nigerian-born business consultant wins councillorship post in Canada
After her aviation career, which ran through 11 years, she continued her career in the Army as a public affairs and relations officer.
Azubuike currently serves as a Deputy Commanding Officer at the US Army Cadet Command and previously served as a Chief of Staff/Senior Military Advisor at the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She was also Chief of Public Affairs at the United States Southern Command, Fort Lauderdale Area, and the Director of Public Affairs, Joint Force HQs-National Capital Region/Military District of Washington.
She also served as a Communications Consultant for the National Football League Players Association and a Public Relations staff for the NFL franchise, the Washington Redskins.
Apart from her Army qualifications, Gen. Azubuike has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication/Media Studies from the University of Central Arkansas, a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, and a Master of Professional Studies, Public Relations/Corporate Communications from Georgetown University.
According to the US Army, her profile partly reads, “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.
She then became the Flight Operations Officer and Platoon Leader for the Aviation Company, Multinational Force, and Observers in Sinai, Egypt. She served as an Operations Officer and RC-12 pilot with the 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation) in South Korea after completing the Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course and Fixed Wing Multi-Engine Qualification Course.
“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.”
