A black female naval officer has shattered a piece of the military’s glass ceiling. The Navy has promoted Michelle Janine Howard to the rank of three-star vice admiral, as she stepped into her new role as deputy commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces headquartered in Norfolk, Va.

She becomes the first African-American woman to achieve that rank.

She comes off of a stint leading anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

Howard decided to join the Navy when she was 12. At that time, women were not allowed at military academies.

Luckily for her and the Navy, that law changed by the time Howard was ready for college. She launched her career at the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.

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