Slovakia got its first woman general this week. President Zuzana Čaputová promoted Beáta Hanušniaková to the rank of brigadier general, saying: “I am particularly pleased that Colonel and, as of today, General Beáta Hanušniaková is among the appointed generals.”
Hanušniaková herself responded by saying that the promotion was a great honour for her. She also paid tribute to all the hardworking servicemen and women.
The Defense Ministry did not issue any more information about this historical appointment. But we have one assessment from Igor Cibula, a former intelligence officer. He writes on his Facebook page that Hanusniakova rose through the ranks of the Military Intelligence service.
“I got to know her as President of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (ABSD), and I highlighted her professional qualities back in 2016 at the ABSD's 10th International Symposium on ‘Intelligence in a Changed Operational Environment.’ At that time, her intelligence affiliation was a classified fact; therefore, in my paper, ‘Women in Intelligence Structures,’ I mentioned that there is only one woman serving in an intelligence-significant position in the Slovak Information Service. This was Beata Hanušniaková, who later moved to a senior post in the Military Intelligence structure, where she demonstrated her superior professional skills, which, in an environment burdened with gender stereotypes, requires emotional stability and a certain maturity in life from a woman in a managerial position.”
(RSI reporting)
