US: Biden nominates first woman to head US Navy

President Joe Biden has nominated Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the current vice chief of naval operations, to be the next chief of naval operations the first woman who would serve in that role and on the Joint Chiefs of Staff setting up a clash in the Senate where Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has been holding up military nominations.

Franchetti, who has served as a commissioned officer for nearly four decades, “has demonstrated extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas,” Biden said in a statement. She is the second woman to achieve the rank of four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy.

Biden also nominated Vice Adm. James Kilby, the deputy commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, to be the next vice chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Samuel Paparo for commander of Indo-Pacific Command and Vice Admiral Stephen “Web” Koehler for commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet.

In his statement, Biden urged the Senate to quickly confirm the nominations, along with others that are on hold.

“These leadership positions are far too important to delay filling while one Senator prioritizes his domestic political agenda over our military readiness,” he said. “It has long been an article of faith in this country that supporting our servicemembers and their families, and providing for the strength of our national defense, transcends politics. What Senator Tuberville is doing is not only wrong — it is dangerous. In this moment of rapidly evolving security environments and intense competition, 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.”

Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has refused to confirm officer positions since the start of this year, citing his disapproval of the Pentagon’s 2022 decision to support service members and their families in traveling out of state to receive an abortion.