Norwegian general becomes first woman commander to head UN peacekeeping force

"I think it's time, and I think it's important that other women see that it's possible also in the UN system to get up in the military hierarchy to become a force commander,'' Lund said.
Lund, 55, joined the Norwegian army in 1979 and went on her first overseas mission in 1986 as transport officer with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

She said that's where she fell in love with the United Nations and learned that "maybe the most important weapon that you have is communication and to build relations."

It was also both fascinating and challenging to work with so many people from different countries and cultures, she said.

In 1991, she worked as a transport officer during the first Gulf War. In 1992-93 she served with the UN protection force in Bosnia, and after the war ended she returned as a battalion commander in the Nato-led force.

After three years working with Nato in the Netherlands, Lund went to Afghanistan in 2003-04 where she worked on civilian-military cooperation.