US President Biden has chosen a female admiral to lead the US Navy – the first time a woman has been nominated to lead a Pentagon military service branch.
Lisa Franchetti is the former head of the US 6th Fleet and US naval forces in South Korea, and also served as an aircraft carrier strike commander.
His nomination by Mr Biden still needs to be confirmed by the US Senate.
A lawmaker is currently blocking the Senate from confirming military leaders to protest a military abortion policy.
If confirmed as Chief of Naval Operations she will be the first woman to become a member of the elite group of senior military officers that make up the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A 38-year veteran, she is only the second woman to achieve the rank of four-star admiral.
In a statement, Mr. Biden praised what he called his “broad expertise in the operational and policy arenas” and said he would “make history again” if confirmed for the role.
According to US media reports, Adm Franchetti was not the first choice of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who instead recommended TOPGUN graduate Samuel Paparo as the next chief of the Navy.
Mr Biden also promoted Adm Paparo, nominating him to be commander of US military forces in the Pacific.
The US Coast Guard is currently headed by a woman – Admiral Linda Fagan – but that branch of the military falls under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense.
Adm Franchetti is due to take up the position in the fall when the current chief’s four-year term ends. But he will begin the job in an acting capacity, as he is unlikely to be easily confirmed by a divided senate.
Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is currently blocking the senate from confirming more than 270 military promotions because of a Pentagon policy that reimburses the travel expenses of service members who need to go out of state to get an abortion.
In his statement, Mr. Biden criticized the senator, saying that “what Senator Tuberville did was not only wrong – it was dangerous”.
He added: “He is risking our ability to ensure that the United States Armed Forces remain the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. And his Republican colleagues in the Senate know it.”