First Female Artillery Troop Commander in Kandahar

When Major Jaime Phillips, then 24, went to Afghanistan in 2007, she was the first female Artillery Troop Commander deployed to Kandahar. She had 33 soldiers under her command — only one of them female. She worked alongside American and Afghan Forces, neither of which had women in their artillery units. Despite the challenges, Phillips remembers her tour of duty as a positive experience that made her the woman and leader she is today. Happy to speak on any topic in person, or via videoteleconference, she is currently serving in Fort Benning, Georgia, as the senior Canadian Instructor at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.

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