If confirmed, Marine Corps Colonel Lorna M. Mahlock will be the first black woman to attain one of the highest military positions in the world.

According to a press release regarding her nomination released by the Department of Defense, Mahlock is currently serving as the deputy director of Operations, Plans, Policies, and Operations Directorate, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, DC. Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced the historic nomination on Tuesday, March 10.

Mahlock is among the mere eight percent of women serving in the Marines, the smallest branch of our military. This follows the unnamed woman who became the corps’ first infantry officer last year, only three years after the Pentagon officially opened up all combat roles to female soldiers. 2017 also saw the first female infantry marines, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.