Washington: President Joe Biden has chosen Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, going against the recommendation of his Pentagon chief. The decision is an unprecedented choice as it will make her the first woman to be a Pentagon service chief and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, if confirmed.
President Biden noted the historical significance of her selection in a statement on July 21 and said, “throughout her career, Admiral Lisa Franchetti has demonstrated extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas.”
Admiral Samuel Paparo, the current commander of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet was recommended by Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin for selection. But instead, Biden is nominating Paparo to lead US Indo-Pacific Command, according to US officials.
Biden chose Franchetti based on the broad scope of her experience at sea and ashore, including a number of high-level policy and administrative jobs that give her deep knowledge in budgeting and running the department, a senior administration official said.
The official acknowledged that Biden understands the historical nature of the nomination and believes that Franchetti will be an inspiration to sailors, both men and women.
The nomination of Franchetti will join the list of hundreds of military moves that are being blocked by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama in protest of a Defence Department policy that pays for travel when a service member has to go out of state to get an abortion or other reproductive care.
“What Senator Tuberville is doing is not only wrong — it is dangerous,” Biden said and blasted Tuberville for prioritising his domestic political agenda over military readiness. “He is risking our ability to ensure that the United States Armed Forces remain the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. And his Republican colleagues in the Senate know it.”
Beginning next month when Admiral Michael Gilday, the current top naval officer, retires Franchetti is slated to serve as the acting Navy chief. Several women have served as military service secretaries as political appointees, but never as their top uniformed officer
“I’m very proud that Admiral Franchetti has been nominated to be the first woman Chief of Naval Operations and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where she will continue to inspire all of us,” Austin praised the nomination in a statement on July 21.
Admiral Lisa Franchetti, a surface warfare officer has commanded at all levels. She has headed US 6th Fleet and US Naval Forces Korea and was the second woman ever to be promoted to four-star admiral. She did multiple deployments, including as commander of a naval destroyer and two stints as aircraft carrier strike group commander.
If confirmed, Paparo will replace Admiral John Aquilino. He is a naval aviator and a TOPGUN graduate with more than 6,000 flight hours in Navy fighter jets and 1,100 landings on aircraft carriers. He graduated from Villanova University and was commissioned into the Navy in 1987. Prior to his Pacific tour, he was commander of naval forces in the Middle East, based in Bahrain, and also previously served as director of operations at US Central Command in Florida.
Biden will also nominate Vice Admiral James Kilby to be the vice chief of the Navy and tap Vice Admiral Stephen Koehler to head the Pacific Fleet.
