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Why did Pete Hegseth fire Admiral Lisa Franchetti as Chief of Naval Operations?
Pete Hegseth fired Admiral Lisa Franchetti not because of any failure in performance or military competence — she had done nothing wrong on either count. He fired her because he had already condemned her in his 2024 book, arguing she was unqualified and had only been given the job because she was a woman. It was a political and ideological decision, dressed up in the language of merit.
A verdict written before the firing — Hegseth's 2024 book as a hit list
Before Pete Hegseth ever set foot in the Pentagon as Secretary of Defense, he had publicly identified Admiral Lisa Franchetti as a problem. In his 2024 book, he singled her out as emblematic of the Biden administration's prioritization of diversity over competence — arguing that her appointment as Chief of Naval Operations was driven by gender, not qualifications.
That pre-existing verdict made her firing all but inevitable once Hegseth took office. As Greg Jaffe reports in The Daily, the official spokesmen for Hegseth offered public justifications for the decision — but none of those justifications held up to scrutiny when measured against Franchetti's actual record.
Franchetti had been confirmed by the Senate 95 to 1, with overwhelming bipartisan support. That near-unanimous vote reflected a broad, cross-party assessment of her fitness for the role — making the post-hoc framing of her removal as a merit-based decision particularly difficult to sustain.
A 26-year military reporter says this has no precedent
The scale of what happened to Franchetti is not an isolated case. According to Jaffe's reporting — detailed in full in this episode of The Daily — Hegseth has fired more than a dozen generals and admirals since taking over, with between 65 and 70 people total either fired or blocked from promotions they had already earned. That represents approximately 10 percent of the entire general officer corps.
Jaffe, who has covered the U.S. military since 1999, says he cannot think of anything remotely close to this in his 26 years on the beat. The purge is, by his account, genuinely unprecedented in modern American military history.
One data point captures the ideological dimension of what is happening: as of 2025–2026, women make up approximately 21 percent of the U.S. Navy, yet no women are being nominated to admiral rank — for the first time in at least a decade. Franchetti's firing sits at the center of that pattern, explored further in the full conversation with Greg Jaffe.
"When you start firing people for political reasons, it's not just the person you fire, but it's the message that sends throughout the entire force that if you want to move up, there are political litmus tests that you have to pass through."
Greg Jaffe — Staff Writer and Military Correspondent, The New York Times.
Jaffe has covered the U.S. military continuously since 1999 — a span of 26 years that encompasses the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, multiple administrations, and every major shift in Pentagon leadership. For this investigation, he co-reported with colleague Kate Kelly, examining the specific hiring and firing patterns shaping Hegseth's Pentagon. He describes the current moment as without parallel in everything he has witnessed across his career. His reporting on the Franchetti case is available in full on The Daily.
See also
Who is Lisa Franchetti and how did she rise to become Chief of Naval Operations?
Lisa Franchetti grew up in Rochester, New York, attended Northwestern University, and joined the Navy after being recruited on campus. She rose through the ranks over decades — including commanding the USS Ross and leading U.S. Fleet Forces Command — to become one of the most senior women in the history of the U.S. Navy.
How many generals and admirals has Pete Hegseth fired or blocked from promotions since becoming Secretary of Defense?
According to Greg Jaffe and his colleague Kate Kelly, Hegseth has fired more than a dozen generals and admirals since taking over as secretary, and they estimate between 65 and 70 people have been fired or blocked from earned promotions — representing approximately 10 percent of the entire general officer corps.
What role did Françoise Dolto play in shaping French parenting philosophy?
Françoise Dolto was a psychoanalyst who profoundly shaped generations of French parenting through her books and a popular radio program. She is credited with introducing ideas about respecting children's autonomy and emotional development that became central to French child-rearing culture.
Key takeaways
- Hegseth had publicly condemned Franchetti in his 2024 book before taking office — making her firing a pre-scripted political act, not a response to any professional failure.
- Franchetti was confirmed by the Senate 95 to 1, demonstrating broad bipartisan confidence in her qualifications that the firing directly contradicted.
- Jaffe argues the real damage extends beyond any individual: political firings send a chilling message to the entire force about what it takes to advance in Hegseth's military.
- The broader pattern — 65 to 70 people fired or blocked from earned promotions — is described by a 26-year military correspondent as unprecedented in modern U.S. history.
The full investigation, with Greg Jaffe walking through each dimension of Hegseth's military purge, is available on Listenly.
Listen to the episode on Listenly