Defense secretary passes over woman considered front-runner for Navy's top job

Article here. Excerpt:

'In a surprise move, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has recommended that Adm. Samuel Paparo become the Navy’s highest-ranking officer instead of a woman widely believed to have been the front-runner, several senior defense officials said.

Adm. Lisa Franchetti had been considered the leading contender for the chief’s job since becoming the vice chief of naval operations, the No. 2 officer in the Navy, last fall. She would have been the first female service member to hold the job and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A woman is running the Coast Guard, but she is not a member of the Joint Chiefs.

Paparo, the commander of Pacific Fleet, was expected to become the next commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, as is common. He is one of the top operational leaders in the Navy facing the challenges against China and was expected to bring his expertise to Indo-Pacific Command at a time when China is a top Biden administration priority.

The decision to pass over Franchetti the same week that the U.S. military celebrates the 75th anniversary of women joining the armed forces may not sit well with some inside the Pentagon who were advocating for the Joint Chiefs to finally have a female officer.'