The Pentagon said Friday night that Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been fired by US President Donald Trump from her position as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO).
Franchetti was the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was appointed the Navy’s top officer in November 2023.
Since her name was on a list of officials the Trump administration was reportedly considering firing for their involvement in diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) projects or other reasons, her removal had been expected.
On Truth Social, Trump declared that retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine will take Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown’s position as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He said that Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has been instructed to “solicit nominations” for other high-level Pentagon posts.
In a different statement, Hegseth acknowledged that Franchetti and General James Slife had “had distinguished careers” and thanked them for their contributions, confirming that he was “requesting nominations for the positions of Chief of Naval Operations and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff.”
Nominations were also being solicited for the Army, Navy, and Air Force Judge Advocates General, he noted.
Mid-tenure departures are uncommon because military commanders on the Joint Chiefs normally serve four-year mandates. “Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting, and winning wars,” Hegseth said in defense of the administration’s choice.
Franchetti oversaw significant modernization initiatives while serving as CNO, including Project 33, which was included in her CNO Navigation Plan last September.
To combat possible Chinese threats in the Indo-Pacific, the effort sought to expedite the deployment of unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, and information warfare capabilities. She also appointed a new “robotics warfare specialist.” rating to support operations involving robotic and autonomous systems.
