President Joe Biden nominated Northwestern alumna Lisa Franchetti (Medill ‘85) to head the Navy, potentially making her the first woman to serve as Chief of Naval Operations and the first woman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Franchetti currently serves as the Vice Chair of Naval Operations and is the second-ever woman to reach the rank of four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy.
“Throughout her career, Admiral Franchetti has demonstrated extensive expertise in both the operational and policy arenas,” Biden said in a statement Friday.
Franchetti was commissioned into the military while at NU, joining through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Program in 1985. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Medill that same year.
In the years since, Franchetti has built an extensive military resumé, serving as commander of two carrier strike teams and commanding the U.S. Naval Forces Korea. She was also the Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet.
“Admiral Lisa Franchetti will bring 38 years of dedicated service to our nation as a commissioned officer,” Biden said in the statement.
However, Franchetti’s ultimate appointment to the position is fraught with challenge. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has blocked the promotion of more than 200 military officers in protest of a policy that pays the travel expenses for officers seeking abortions.
“What Senator Tuberville is doing is not only wrong—it is dangerous,” Biden said in the statement. “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.”
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