After nearly half a year without a Senate-confirmed uniformed leader, the Navy has a new top admiral.
In a voice vote Thursday night, the Senate approved Adm. Daryl Caudle, who has been the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command since 2021, to be the next chief of naval operations.
The confirmation ends a vacancy that opened in February when President Donald Trump fired the previous chief of naval operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
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Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered no explanation for Franchetti's firing. But Hegseth, whose tenure has been defined largely by culture wars, wrote in a book before he became defense secretary that he viewed Franchetti, the first female chief of naval operations, as unqualified and elevated for political optics rather than merit.
The Trump administration took five months to nominate a successor to Franchetti. By the time Caudle appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, her firing was barely a factor in his confirmation hearing, with just a couple of Democrats noting their concern about the circumstances that led to his nomination.
Caudle's confirmation hearing focused on boilerplate Navy issues, including shipbuilding, shipyard infrastructure and munitions production.
Caudle was also asked by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, whether he would commit to providing his best military advice regardless of whether it conflicts with the views of a "famously strong-willed president."
"I am absolutely ready to do that," Caudle responded. "I think it's an obligation. I've sworn an oath to do that, and if confirmed, I will do that with my utmost ability."
In written answers to the committee, Caudle also promised to make quality of life a priority.
"In my current role as commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, I have made sailor quality of life a top priority and will continue to do so," he wrote.
Caudle was viewed as an uncontroversial pick to replace Franchetti.
A career submariner, he served as commander of Naval Submarine Forces, considered to be the Navy's most senior operational submariner, prior to his most recent role as Fleet Forces commander.
Caudle made some waves in 2023 when discussing the difficulty of producing enough ammunition to arm both Ukraine and the U.S. Navy, prompting a spokesperson to try to clean up his comments.
As head of Fleet Forces, which oversees most of the Navy's East Coast forces, Caudle also managed major mental health crises aboard ships and in facilities in the region.
Caudle was confirmed Thursday as part of a batch of dozens of military nominees that also included Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton's nomination to receive a fourth star and be vice chief of the Space Force. Bratton was nominated after the previous Space Force No. 2, Gen. Michael Guetlein, was picked by the president to oversee the development of the Golden Dome missile defense project.
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