WASHINGTON — The White House will nominate Gen. Lori J. Robinson of the Air Force to lead all military forces in North America, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said Friday. If confirmed by the Senate, General Robinson will become the first woman to head one of the United States combatant commands.

“We have coming along now a lot of female officers who are exceptionally strong,” Mr. Carter said in an interview with Politico. “Lori certainly fits into that category.”

The Defense Department has six combatant commanders who oversee military operations in different regions of the world.

General Robinson would lead the United States Northern Command, which is based in Colorado Springs and was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the military’s response to domestic threats. The highest-profile command in recent years has been the United States Central Command, which oversees military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and the rest of the Middle East.