WASHINGTON D.C, USA — Breaking yet another glass ceiling in the U.S. military, President Joe Biden nominated Admiral Lisa Franchetti as the Navy’s top officer.
This position would make her the first woman to lead the Navy and the first to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Admiral Franchetti, who was commissioned in 1985, has built an impressive career, including stints as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development, and director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy of the Joint Staff, according to her official biography.
She has commanded two carrier strike groups and ascended to Vice Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in September 2022.
In his Friday, July 21, 2023, announcement, President Biden extolled Franchetti’s nearly four-decade-long dedication to the nation.
“Throughout her career, Admiral Franchetti has demonstrated extensive expertise in operational and policy arenas. She is the second woman ever to be a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. When confirmed, she will again make history as the first woman to serve as the Chief of Naval Operations and on the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” the president said.
In a series of military appointments, Biden also announced the nominations of Vice Adm.
James Kilby will be the next Vice CNO, Adm. Samuel Paparo to lead U.S. forces in the Pacific, and Vice Adm. Stephen “Web” Koehler will command the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commended the nominations, stating that the selected admirals will “ensure that our U.S. Navy and the joint force in the Indo-Pacific remain the finest military force that the world has ever known… and uphold the rules-based international order.”
However, Admiral Franchetti’s confirmation may not be swift due to ongoing holds on senior military nominations by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville in protest of Pentagon reproductive health policies.
Other high-ranking officers currently stalled by Tuberville’s blockade include the nominees for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army chief of staff, and commandant of the Marine Corps.
Franchetti’s nomination marks another historic milestone for the Biden administration’s Defense Department despite the political hurdles, which has already seen the first Black Secretary of Defense and the first female Army Secretary.
The pending confirmation of Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown would result in the Pentagon’s two most senior leaders being Black men for the first time.
President Biden used his Friday announcement to address Tuberville’s obstruction, calling it “not only wrong — it is dangerous.”
He urged the Senate to expedite the confirmation of all outstanding military nominees.
