This Air Force general could be the first female chief of staff

General Lori Robinson experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks of the U.S. Air Force. From 2012-2014, she added a star per year to her epaulets. She was the deputy commander of the USAF's CENTCOM area of responsibility and the vice commander of the U.S. Air Force's global strike force. She became the first female to command USAF combat forces when she took over Pacific Air Forces, which controls Air Force operations from the United States to the east coast of Asia and from Antarctica to the Arctic Ocean.

Now, she's poised to make history again in 2016.

The current Air Force Chief of Staff (CSAF), General Mark Welsh III, is set to retire in the summer, and Robinson is on the short list to replace him.

She's also in the running to head the U.S. Northern Command, which would make her the highest ranking combatant commander, tasked with defending the contiguous United States, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico.

Robinson is also a unique choice because she would be the first non-pilot to be named CSAF. Her experience, however, includes more than 900 flight hours as a "senior battle manager" in the E-3B/C and E-8C aircraft.

"As far as the woman part of it all, I'm the commander at Pacific Air Forces," Robinson recently said during an interview. "I'm a general of the United States Air Force; I'm an airman, and I happen to be a woman."