President Joe Biden has made the wrong choice in nominating Adm. Lisa Franchetti to be the next chief of naval operations. Franchetti has a distinguished naval career centered on Europe and planning and foreign liaison. But the next head of the Navy, the choice recommended to Biden by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, should have been Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Sam Paparo.
It's China, stupid.
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More specifically, it's China's very significant threat to Taiwan and to U.S. treaty allies such as the Philippines and Japan, as well as the nation's associated need for a Navy that is ready for a likely approaching war. And as assessed by weapons stockpiles and fleet strength, the Navy is not ready for that war.
That brings us back to Paparo. A naval aviator who has spent much of his career focused on the Pacific, Paparo is an expert on the People's Liberation Army. Well-regarded by the front-line units of the U.S. military and in the intelligence community, Paparo is seen as a keen strategist and a strong leader. It is for this reason that Austin rightly recommended him to become the Navy's next top officer. Paparo would have been best placed to better prepare the Navy for war with China. Considering the significant strains on the Navy's force levels, and the PLA's development of advanced capabilities designed to blunt the Navy, the Pentagon needs to take maximal advantage of its best assets. Paparo is one such asset. While he will make an excellent next commander of Indo-Pacific Command, Paparo belongs at the Navy Yard's Tingey House.
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This is not to say that Franchetti is a weak candidate. On the contrary, the admiral has commanded carrier strike groups and served in numerous positions on various destroyers. She knows the nuts and bolts of the Navy. As the current vice chief of naval operations, Franchetti has experience in how to do the top job. Nevertheless, the PLA is coming, and the United States needs leaders best placed to confront that threat with maximum efficacy.
Measured by mission needs and comparative experience, Paparo's nomination for the top job should have been a no-brainer.