Former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti is speaking out after the Trump administration ousted her and other top leaders at the Pentagon Friday, asserting that the Navy’s mission will continue “unabated and undisrupted.”
Franchetti, the first woman to serve as the chief of naval operations and on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described leading the sea service as the “honor of a lifetime” and thanked Navy sailors for their service supporting the U.S.
“We are America’s Warfighting Navy and America is counting on us to deter aggression, defend our National security interests, and preserve our way of life,” Franchetti, who had served as the Navy’s top officer since 2023, said in a Tuesday LinkedIn post. “We operate from seabed to space, around the globe and around the clock. Our mission continues, unabated and undisrupted…There is no time to waste.”
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Franchetti joined the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps as a student at Northwestern University and was commissioned in 1985. She told Navy Times in 2023 that she met other ROTC students at a barbecue during freshman orientation week, who notified her about the scholarship opportunities ROTC provided.
At the time of her commissioning, women were barred from serving on combatant ships and aircraft and were instead assigned to ships like oilers and destroyer tenders. However, Congress repealed the law in 1993 — paving the way for women like Franchetti to serve in top leadership positions in the Navy.
“I joined for free college and books, but I stayed for our mission, the opportunity to serve something greater than myself, and the chance to be part of amazing teams in the world’s most lethal fighting force: America’s Warfighting Navy,” Franchetti wrote on LinkedIn.
Ultimately, Franchetti went on to command two carrier strike groups, and served as the deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa and the commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, which falls under U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa.
Other leaders the Trump administration removed Friday included Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim Slife.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth requested nominations to replace Franchetti and Slife, and said that both had “distinguished careers.”
“We thank them for their service and dedication to our country,” Hegseth said in a Friday statement.
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby announced that he would take over responsibilities as the top officer in the Navy until a permanent replacement was found for Franchetti.
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“The work of our Navy continues without disruption,” Kilby said in a statement Saturday. “We will sustain forward-deployed lethal forces that enhance the peace and deter our adversaries.”
The Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. It remains unclear where Franchetti will be reassigned.
Hegseth didn’t provide any additional comment on Franchetti or her career, but previously described her as a “DEI hire” in his 2024 book, “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”
Hegseth also announced Friday that President Donald Trump plans to nominate retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine to replace Brown, claiming that Caine embodies the “warfighter ethos” the U.S. military needs.
“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.
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