1 of 3 With 38 years of service, Lisa Franchetti was Chief of the 6th Fleet and US Naval Forces in South Korea Photo: US Navy/Via BBC With 38 years of service, Lisa Franchetti was Chief of the 6th Fleet and US Naval Forces in South Korea Photo : US Navy/Via BBC
The American Senate voted on Thursday (February 11) to appoint Admiral Lisa Franchetti as commander of the US Navy.
As chief of naval operations, she will become the first woman to join the elite group of senior military officers that make up the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The appointment was approved by a vote of 951, at a time when the Senate was pushing to fill critical military leadership vacancies.
A Republican senator has tried to block appointments to positions in protest over the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
The 38yearold Marine veteran is the former chief of the U.S. 6th Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces in South Korea and also served as an aircraft carrier strike commander.
Her appointment by US President Joe Biden marks the first time a woman has been nominated to lead a military service branch of the Pentagon.
The U.S. Coast Guard is led by a woman — Admiral Linda Fagan — but that department reports to the Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Defense.
Franchetti was born in the city of Rochester, New York, and is currently 59 years old.
She studied journalism at Northwestern University in Illinois. While still a student, he took part in the Naval Reserve Officer Corps training program and entered military service in 1985.
Before becoming the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy, she served as deputy chief and acting chief of naval operations.
As a surface warfare officer, Franchetti served as Director of Strategy, Planning and Policy, U.S. Staff from 2020 to 2022, Second Vice Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Development in 2020, and Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet from 2018 to 2020.
She was also the second woman to be promoted to fourstar admiral in the U.S. Navy and the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Franchetti was married, mother of one daughter and a fan of running in her free time. She held many of the same positions as other senior naval officers ship captain, aircraft carrier attack commander, fleet commander.
But she was the first woman to take on many of these roles.
2 of 3 Franchetti was the first woman to take on many of her roles and is considered a role model for young officers Photo: Portal/Via BBC Franchetti was the first woman to take on many of her roles and is considered a role model for young officers Photo: Portal/Via BBC
“She is a role model for many young officers, particularly surface warfare officers, and has always seen it as her personal mission to be the mentor that she never had or very few had,” retired Vice Admiral Ron Boxall told the website Defense News.
Retired Adm. James Foggo, Franchetti’s boss when she led the U.S. 6th Fleet, says he spoke with the military veteran several times about the intersection between life as a naval officer and life as a woman.
“One of the things she said was that she learned a long time ago that you don’t have to sacrifice your femininity or your gender identity to be a good leader in the Navy,” Foggo told Defense News.
“In other words, you don’t have to lower your voice. You don’t have to scream. You don’t have to use profanity. You can simply lead. You can be an effective leader by listening and caring to your team.” For your team, understanding your team. This is leadership and has nothing to do with gender.”
The deadlock in the US Senate
Over the past nine months, Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville has blocked the Democraticmajority Senate from confirming nearly 400 military promotions.
He opposes a Pentagon policy that covers travel costs for military personnel working in states where abortion is restricted or illegal to have the procedure performed elsewhere.
Nevertheless, Tuberville voted to approve Lisa Franchetti as commander of the Navy.
The only vote against the nomination came from fellow Republican Roger Marshall, a former Army captain and senator from Kansas.
3 of 3 Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville tried to block military appointments in protest against the Pentagon’s abortion policies Photo: Portal/Via BBC Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville tried to block military appointments in protest against the Pentagon’s abortion policies Pentagon moves to block military appointments Photo: Portal /Via BBC
On Wednesday night, Tommy Tuberville’s Republican colleagues broke with him for the first time and dramatically read out the names of the 61 nominees to give each an individual vote, all but ignoring the senator’s position.
Alaska Republican Rep. Dan Sullivan chided Tuberville, saying, “The careers of American troops are being punished for a political dispute that they have nothing to do with and that they cannot resolve.”
Military officials and lawmakers said he was endangering U.S. national security during conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“Both parties must work together to ensure that our military is fully staffed and fully equipped to defend the American people at all times, but especially during this time of crisis,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Thursday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he was “pleased” that some positions were approved, but added that the “unprecedented delay in confirming key military leaders has compromised the readiness of our service members and placed unnecessary strain on our military families.”