Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the firing of Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as the Navy’s chief of naval operations, following President Trump’s dismissal of Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hegseth will also replace Gen. James C. Slife and top uniformed lawyers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, emphasizing new leadership focused on military readiness. Adm. Franchetti, who had a distinguished 40-year career, including commanding significant naval forces, was appointed by President Biden. Such firings are rare, especially for service chiefs, and reflect tensions within military leadership under Trump.
On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the dismissal of Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who made history as the first female officer to achieve the title of chief of naval operations in the Navy, and stated that he would begin the search for her successor.
This information was released in a statement sent to reporters on Friday evening, shortly after President Trump confirmed the firing of Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In his statement, Mr. Hegseth mentioned that he would also be replacing Gen. James C. Slife, the Air Force’s vice chief of staff, alongside the top uniformed legal officials for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Mr. Hegseth acknowledged the “distinguished careers” of both Admiral Franchetti and General Slife, expressing gratitude for their service and commitment to the nation.
“Under President Trump, we are implementing new leadership to refocus our military on its primary mission of deterring, fighting, and winning wars,” he stated.
As per her official bio, Admiral Franchetti was commissioned in 1985 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Northwestern University, shortly after the Navy ended its ban on women serving on ships at sea.
During a time when women were primarily limited to serving on auxiliary ships, she became a surface warfare officer, taking roles on noncombat vessels that transport cargo, fuel, ammunition, or repair equipment for submarines.
The ban on women serving on warships ended in 1993, which allowed officers like Admiral Franchetti to compete on equal terms with their male peers. However, it wasn’t until 2010 that women could serve on submarines.
Throughout her 40-year career, she spent about half of the time at sea, rising to command the destroyer U.S.S. Ross, later leading a destroyer squadron, two aircraft carrier strike groups, all naval forces in Korea, and the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.
On November 2, 2023, Admiral Franchetti became the 33rd chief of naval operations, marking her as the first woman to hold a permanent seat on the Joint Chiefs.
When she was appointed, the White House highlighted Admiral Franchetti’s “extensive operational and policy experience” as a significant factor in President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s decision.
It is extremely rare for a service chief like Admiral Franchetti to be dismissed, although Mr. Trump did terminate another four-star female admiral less than 24 hours after his second inauguration.
That admiral was Linda L. Fagan, who broke barriers as the first woman to command a branch of the armed forces while serving as Coast Guard commandant.
The last chief of naval operations who did not finish a complete four-year term was Adm. Mike Mullen, who took over as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2007.
Almost a decade prior, Adm. Jeremy M. Boorda, a chief of naval operations who uniquely started his Navy service as an enlisted sailor before ascending to four-star admiral, tragically died by suicide in 1996.
Three decades earlier, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Navy’s chief, Adm. George W. Anderson, retired early in 1963 following conflicts with then-Defense Secretary Robert McNamara.
Throughout his second term, Mr. Trump has exhibited notable disdain toward high-ranking military officials, both active-duty personnel and those who have since retired.
Mr. Trump has gone so far as to suggest that Gen. Mark A. Milley, his former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who retired in 2023, should face execution for his discussions with his Chinese counterpart during the events surrounding the January 6 insurrection.
General Milley’s official portrait was removed from the Pentagon on Inauguration Day.
A week later, Mr. Hegseth rescinded General Milley’s government-funded personal security detail, a service provided to the former general due to the death threats he has received from Iran after the assassination of a prominent Iranian general by the U.S. in early 2020.
Supporters of Mr. Trump have also issued threats against General Milley regarding his communications with his Chinese counterpart throughout the first Trump administration, ensuring them that the U.S. was not attempting to instigate military conflict.