Pacific Fleet Commander Nominated as US Chief of Naval Operations

Politico on June 13 quoted two anonymous officials as saying that Secretary Austin's proposal was sent to the White House by the Pentagon a few days ago but President Joe Biden has not yet decided.

Samuel Paparo on the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier in 2021

The White House declined to comment, while Navy spokesman Ryan Perry said: "This is a presidential decision. The Navy has many highly qualified senior leaders and it would be inappropriate to speculate on who the president will nominate as the next chief of naval operations."

President Biden had been widely expected to nominate Adm. Lisa Franchetti, currently the vice chief of naval operations, to head the service. However, deputy chiefs of staff rarely get promoted to the chief of staff position. Instead, the position usually goes to a combatant commander with fresh experience, according to Politico . If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Franchetti would be the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Meanwhile, Mr. Paparo is leading the Pacific Fleet, where he focuses his efforts on countering the growing power of the Chinese navy.

He is a veteran naval pilot and has also commanded in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and is considered an innovative and creative thinker.

Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo- Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), was recently reported to have pushed Secretary Austin to nominate Paparo over Franchetti because of his experience with China. However, an INDOPACOM spokesperson denied the report.

Whoever is nominated, the new chief of naval operations will face the daunting task of a delayed expansion of the Navy's fleet. In addition to the Navy, the Joint Chiefs of Staff are also undergoing leadership changes in other branches of the military. President Biden nominated Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown, who previously commanded US air forces in the Pacific, to chair the board in late May.

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