US President Biden has chosen a female admiral to lead the US Navy – the first time a woman has been nominated to head a Pentagon military service branch.
Lisa Franchetti is a former head of the US 6th Fleet and US naval forces in South Korea, and has also served as an aircraft carrier strike commander.
Her nomination by President Biden must still be confirmed by the US Senate.
One lawmaker is currently blocking the Senate from confirming military leaders to protest a military abortion policy.
If confirmed as Chief of Naval Operations she will be the first woman to become a member of the elite group of senior military officers who make up the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In a statement, Biden hailed what he called her “extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas” and said she “will again make history” when she is confirmed for the role.
According to reports in US media, Adm Franchetti was not the first choice of the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who instead recommended TOPGUN graduate Samuel Paparo as the next Navy chief.
Adm Franchetti is due to take up the position in the fall when the current chief’s four-year term expires. But she will begin the job in an acting capacity, as it’s unlikely that she will be quickly confirmed by the divided senate
