President Biden has decided to nominate Adm. Lisa Franchetti as chief of naval operations, a promotion that would make her the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in US history. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had suggested that Biden select Adm. Samuel Paparo, the Washington Post reports, though many people involved considered Franchetti the likely choice. Should the nomination be confirmed, her name apparently will be added to the list of senior military leaders whose promotions are being blocked by Republican Sen. Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, CNN points out. That would put the Navy in the same boat as the Marines, whose next leader is unable to take office.
Franchetti, who has extensive command and executive experience, holds the second-highest job in the Navy now. Paparo, who commands the Pacific Fleet, instead will be nominated to lead the US Indo-Pacific Command. An administration official told the Post that Franchetti's broad experience at assignments at sea and on land won her the job, including a series of high-level policy and administrative positions. Austin's recommendation last month had surprised leaders in the Pentagon, per Politico, but being in the Pacific, Papro has experience in monitoring the increasing naval power of China.
The president expects Franchetti and her groundbreaking ascent to be an inspiration to male and female sailors, the administration officials said. She'll become acting chief next month at the retirement of Adm. Michael Gilday. In announcing Franchetti's nomination on Friday, Biden called on Tuberville to drop his stonewalling of military promotions, saying that supporting the military has always transcended politics. "What Sen. Tuberville is doing is not only wrong—it is dangerous," Biden said. (More Navy stories.)
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