For the first time in history a woman will be at the head one of America’s 17 intelligence agencies. America has had three female secretaries of State including Hillary Clinton who currently holds the role but has never had a female in charge of one of its major intelligence agencies.

Letitia A. Long is being promoted on Monday (TODAY) to the director of the National geospatial intelligence agency. A special ceremony will be held at the agency’s near completed headquarters in Springfield Va.

She has had plenty of experience serving in senior management roles for the last ten of a distinguished 32 year career. These have included deputy director of Naval intelligence, Deputy, Undersecretary of Defence for Intelligence, and her current position as second in command at the Defence Intelligence Agency .

It is somewhat surprising that it has taken so long to for a woman to get the top job of a major intelligence agency. Women make up 38% of America’s intelligence workforce but they are underrepresented at senior levels. If Hillary Clinton had been  elected president at the last election America would have been in the bizarre position of having a female president while not having a single women in charge of one of its intelligence agencies.

Female insiders say that they hope that her appointment will help change the attitudes of what is a male dominated workforce. Women in the past have complained that they have been disrespected and looked down upon simply because of their gender. It is hoped that her appointment will inspire other young girls to go into intelligence and break the glass ceiling which is only now beginning to shatter.

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