HISTORIC FIRSTS

Joe Biden Selects Lisa Franchetti as First Woman on Joint Chiefs of Staff

She will become both the first woman to lead the Navy and to join the president’s group of senior uniformed leaders.

Joe Biden has named Admiral Lisa Franchetti to become the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy and to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Throughout her career, Admiral Franchetti has demonstrated extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas,” Biden said, according to CNN. “She is the second woman ever to achieve the rank of four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and when confirmed, she will again make history as the first woman to serve as the Chief of Naval Operations and on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.” Franchetti’s confirmation will likely be stalled by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s one-man blockade on military promotions, which has also ensnared Biden picks for the Marine Corps commandant and the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Tuberville has held up the confirmation process to protest the Pentagon’s policy on abortions, despite rebukes from military officials.