President Joe Biden nominated Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy on Friday, breaking a gender barrier in the US military by making her the first woman to command the service and serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Biden’s choice is unexpected. The nomination was widely expected to go to Admiral Samuel Paparo, who oversees the Navy in the Pacific and has expertise dealing with China’s growing challenge.
Nonetheless, Franchetti, who is now the Navy’s vice chief of operations, is generally respected and has extensive experience, including as commander of US Naval Forces Korea, authorities said.
In a statement, Biden noted Franchetti’s 38 years of experience.
“Throughout her career, Admiral Franchetti has demonstrated extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas,” Biden said in a statement, noting that she was the second woman ever to achieve the rank of four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy.
Last year, Biden appointed Admiral Linda Fagan to lead the United States Coast Guard, making her the service’s first female commanding commander. However, the coast guard is not legally part of the Department of Defense, but rather of the Department of Homeland Security.
Franchetti would be the first woman to oversee a military service within the Defense Department and to be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a panel of eight top uniformed service members who advise the president on military matters.
Biden also promoted Paparo, naming him commander of all US military forces in the Pacific. Vice Admiral Stephen “Web” Koehler was chosen to succeed Paparo as head of the United States Pacific Fleet.
Senator Tommy Tuberville is blocking all U.S. military nominees in Congress in protest of a Defense Department policy that reimburses costs for service personnel who travel to seek abortions.
The Senate must approve senior military nominees. Although the review is normally routine, a single senator can halt it by putting a hold on nominations, forcing them to be considered one at a time, which might take many hours.
Tuberville’s veto could have far-reaching consequences across the armed forces, impacting troops and their families and eventually costing the United States military talent, as highlighted this month by Biden’s choice for top U.S. general, Air Force General Charles “C.Q.” Brown.
The military is already scrambling to fill a high leadership position after the commandant of the Marine Corps, one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stepped down on July 10 when his four-year term expired.
His deputy has taken control, but the hold on promotions has left the Marine Corps without a confirmed leader for the first time in more than a century, according to the Pentagon.
Biden said the delay undermined national security.
“What Senator Tuberville is doing is not only wrong — it is dangerous,” Biden said in the statement.
“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.”