Commodore Jude Terry – a former Jersey College for Girls student – is due to take on the role, which is the fourth-most senior officer rank, next year.
The 47-year-old, who was born in Jersey and still lives in the Island, will also become the Royal Navy’s director of people and training and naval secretary – making her responsible for the training, welfare and career management of all sailors and Royal Marines.
Cmdr Terry, who comes from a naval family and whose father served on HMS Tiger, said: ‘I have always thought of myself as a naval officer first, then a logistics officer, then Jude and finally as a female. The Navy genuinely doesn’t look at your gender and is an equal opportunities employer – it wants you to be part of a team and deliver outputs to support operations.
‘I have been really lucky throughout my career. I’ve enjoyed great jobs, wonderful support from my family, worked with great people, seized the opportunity to see the world and contribute to a number of operations which have made a difference to people’s lives including Afghanistan, Somalia and Sierra Leone, to name a few.’
In 2017 Cmdr Jude was made an OBE in recognition of her work on the Permanent Joint Headquarters – the north London operations hub for the UK military.
At the same time she was involved in ending Britain’s front-line operations in Afghanistan – overseeing the closure of Camp Bastion, Lashkar Gar and Kandahar. She also played a part in the successful efforts to curb the spread of Ebola in West Africa in 2014 and 2015.
Speaking to The Telegraph about becoming the first female Rear Admiral, she said: ‘Someone’s got to be first. There will be others.’
She added: ‘I think the system has always allowed me to be Jude. I’ve never ever thought about being female in the services. If you deliver, you get the credit for it. If you don’t deliver, you have to redeem yourself.’
Meanwhile, First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin said: ‘Jude is part of a cohort of trailblazers in the Royal Navy who have seized the opportunities on offer, and risen to the top.
‘This builds on a rich career of naval and broader defence appointments, all of which she has excelled at.’
