After almost half a yr and not using a Senate-confirmed uniformed chief, the Navy has a brand new high admiral.
In a voice vote Thursday night time, the Senate accepted Adm. Daryl Caudle, who has been the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command since 2021, to be the subsequent chief of naval operations.
The affirmation ends a emptiness that opened in February when President Donald Trump fired the earlier chief of naval operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
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Trump and Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth provided no rationalization for Franchetti’s firing. However Hegseth, whose tenure has been outlined largely by tradition wars, wrote in a e book earlier than he grew to become protection secretary that he seen Franchetti, the primary feminine chief of naval operations, as unqualified and elevated for political optics relatively than advantage.
The Trump administration took 5 months to appoint a successor to Franchetti. By the point Caudle appeared earlier than the Senate Armed Companies Committee final week, her firing was barely a consider his affirmation listening to, with simply a few Democrats noting their concern in regards to the circumstances that led to his nomination.
Caudle’s affirmation listening to targeted on boilerplate Navy points, together with shipbuilding, shipyard infrastructure and munitions manufacturing.
Caudle was additionally requested by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, whether or not he would decide to offering his finest army recommendation no matter whether or not it conflicts with the views of a “famously strong-willed president.”
“I’m completely prepared to try this,” Caudle responded. “I believe it is an obligation. I’ve sworn an oath to try this, and if confirmed, I’ll do this with my utmost skill.”
In written solutions to the committee, Caudle additionally promised to make high quality of life a precedence.
“In my present position as commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, I’ve made sailor high quality of life a high precedence and can proceed to take action,” he wrote.
Caudle was seen as an uncontroversial decide to exchange Franchetti.
A profession submariner, he served as commander of Naval Submarine Forces, thought-about to be the Navy’s most senior operational submariner, previous to his most up-to-date position as Fleet Forces commander.
Caudle made some waves in 2023 when discussing the issue of manufacturing sufficient ammunition to arm each Ukraine and the U.S. Navy, prompting a spokesperson to attempt to clear up his feedback.
As head of Fleet Forces, which oversees a lot of the Navy’s East Coast forces, Caudle additionally managed main psychological well being crises aboard ships and in services within the area.
Caudle was confirmed Thursday as a part of a batch of dozens of army nominees that additionally included Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton’s nomination to obtain a fourth star and be vice chief of the Area Drive. Bratton was nominated after the earlier Area Drive No. 2, Gen. Michael Guetlein, was picked by the president to supervise the event of the Golden Dome missile protection venture.
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