Right Appointment, Wrong Sell!
TL;DR
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle’s appointment makes sense for the time and the role.
The backlash was amplified by the way the Government chose to frame it.
A better explanation could have avoided a lot of lazy criticism.
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The appointment makes sense. The sales pitch did not.
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle’s elevation to Chief of Army makes sense for the time, the job and the demands of the role. The backlash that followed was helped by the way the Government chose to present it.
“DEI hire” arrives early. “Political signalling” follows close behind.
The pattern is now predictable.
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle did not arrive at this role by accident. Nearly four decades in uniform, operational deployments, brigade command, Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East, Forces Command, and most recently Chief of Joint Capabilities.
That is not symbolism.
That is the pipeline.
Roles at that level are filters. Command, deployment and institutional responsibility applied repeatedly over time.
Yet the debate rarely starts there.
The Government had the substance to lead with that record. The media release and press conference set it out in detail, step by step, from enlisted service through to senior command.
The material was there.
But the emphasis landed elsewhere.
“Historic first.” “First woman to command the Army.” “First woman to command a service.”
That became the headline.
Once that happens, the debate shifts.
Critics move to gender. Media moves to symbolism. Social commentary follows the same path.
The record becomes secondary.
That does not excuse lazy criticism.
If the claim is “wrong person”, then show it. Show the gap in experience, the failure in judgement, or the better candidate who was overlooked.
Without that, the argument collapses.
But framing matters.
When symbolism is placed at the front, symbolic criticism follows. When identity leads, identity dominates the response.
Cause and effect.
Distrust does the rest.
Low trust means intent is assumed before substance is assessed. A label like “DEI hire” becomes a shortcut, used before the record is even considered.
That is where the standard slips.
Not every appointment is perfect. Governments deserve scrutiny.
But scrutiny requires discipline.
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle may or may not prove to be an outstanding Chief of Army. Performance in the role will answer that.
The question now is simpler.
Was the decision judged on the job and the record.
Or was it judged on the way it was sold.
The appointment makes sense.
The sell made the backlash easier.