Source: United States Navy
Good morning everyone and welcome! Secretary Hicks, Secretary Del Toro, Chairman Milley, Admiral Grady, Admiral Fagan, fellow flag and general officers, friends and family, it is my distinct privilege this morning to preside over the promotion of Adm. Franchetti and this Change of Office ceremony for the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
It is fitting that we perform this ceremony here in the Hall of Heroes, where we are inspired by the exemplary action, unwavering devotion, and extraordinary heroism of 3,500 men and one woman – Dr. Mary Edwards Walker – a Civil War surgeon, prisoner of war, and suffragist.
These heroes exemplify the best of what it means to be a leader. And it is a special honor for me to recognize not one, but two of the most exemplary, most accomplished, most impactful leaders in our Navy.
It would be impossible for me to do justice to both of these officers in our brief time together, so I’m going to save the majority of my comments about Adm. Lescher for his retirement ceremony later this morning. But for those present, I do want to take a few moments to recognize the extraordinary service he has rendered to our Navy and our nation during his tenure.
Over the past two years as VCNO, Adm. Lescher has taken on our Navy’s most challenging problems.
He has applied his superb judgment and analytical skills to improve our Navy’s performance and increase our warfighting readiness.
The list of initiatives he has spearheaded and implemented includes: Performance-to-Plan, the Naval Sustainment System, the Navigation Plan Implementation Framework, Unmanned Task Force, Project Overmatch, the Learning to Action Board, the establishment of the Navy Safety Command, and our Navy-wide Get Real, Get Better campaign.
Any one of these initiatives would have been more than most individuals could realistically undertake, but Adm. Lescher has taken them all on masterfully.
And this list just scratches the surface of what he’s achieved for our Fleet. From helping formulate our Navy strategy, plans, and policy; to overseeing delivery of Navy programs; to advising and advocating for Navy interests during multiple budget cycles; to strengthening our alliances and partnerships; to identifying and promoting best practices for problem-solving and leadership across the force … his impact will be felt for years to come.
So Bill, on behalf of a grateful Navy – and a grateful nation – let me thank you for your unwavering commitment to excellence, your servant’s attitude, your calm, confident professionalism, and your unwavering devotion to the mission. You taught all of us how to get real … and how to get better. So to you, and your wife Ruth, who has stood by your side, thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my distinct honor to introduce to you the next Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
The story of Admiral Franchetti’s trailblazing military career begins in Evanston, Illinois, on the campus of the prestigious Northwestern University.
There she was young, ambitious, tireless; by day a journalism major learning to gather information, ask hard questions, and communicate with precision; at night, a waitress working to pay for college; and early in the morning, a coxswain on her crew team, conducting a symphony of swinging blades. She would go on to captain her crew team … while also coaching the men’s lightweight crew.
Lisa likes to say, “No one person can whistle a symphony – it takes an orchestra.” And she credits her rowing experience with some of her earliest lessons on leadership: every individual matters, you propel a team forward by believing in them, and no one person can do it alone.
Now it was also on the Northwestern campus where one afternoon Lisa happened to walk by Naval ROTC Midshipmen who were employing one of our most ingenious and persuasive recruiting strategies … the cookout.
Now Lisa will tell you the rest of the story, but the strategy worked – and before long she joined their ranks as a midshipman.
One of her advisors at the time was retired Capt. John Peterson—who is with us this morning. John has a vivid memory of a “compact, energetic, focused, and grinning Lisa Franchetti” speeding by him on her bicycle one morning, calling out “Good morning Lt. Peterson” as she raced to her goal. At that moment, John had a clear vision of a “woman on the move, destined for greatness.” You could say she hasn’t stopped moving since.
When Lisa commissioned, she was determined to serve on a ship at sea. Despite limited opportunities – which she will explain – she remained motivated and found an innovative solution.
She wanted to be operational. As she puts it, “I didn’t join the Navy to drive a desk.” And anyone who has served with her can testify, she is never happier than when she is aboard a ship, “haze grey and under way.” It’s ironic – but fitting – that the person we need most behind the VCNO’s desk here in the Pentagon is the person whose heart remains with Sailors at sea.
The legendary Adm. Grace Hopper once said, “you manage things; you lead people.” Similarly, one of Adm. Franchetti’s core leadership principles is that “people are the most important thing.” As everyone she’s led can testify… she means it. When she earned her way onto her first ship, USS Shenandoah, she immediately put that people-first approach into practice.
There was a first-class petty officer in her division who remembered her some 30-years later. As he recalls, “I was at the lowest point of my life, but she trusted me, she believed in me, and I made chief under her. She saved me.” You don’t have that kind of impact without empathy, personal engagement, and a genuine concern for people’s well-being. That’s how important people are to her.
Another defining characteristic of Lisa’s style is exhaustive study and thoroughness in preparation. Friends and colleagues describe her insatiable thirst for knowledge, inquisitiveness, and uncanny attention to detail.
You can ask Adm. Jim Aiken, who commands our 4th Fleet. When Jim was a junior officer serving with Lisa on USS Monogahela, the junior officers were looking forward to a relaxing port call free of liberty plans. You can imagine their dismay when Lisa started handing out an ambitious, highly detailed, hour-by-hour schedule of tours, museum visits, and other organized activities. It’s an anecdote that illustrates how she promotes continuous learning, and empowers everyone around her. I cannot wait to see what she has planned for our staff!
You know, this won’t be Lisa’s first time in the VCNO’s office. Twenty-five years ago she was a flag aide for VCNO, working alongside a slightly younger John “Lung” Aquilino in VCNO’s office.
Adm. Aquilino, who now leads our Indo-Pacific Command, says that she taught him everything in that tour, and he got through it “by doing whatever she did and following her lead.” “You could say she trained a combatant commander” he says, adding, “I couldn’t be prouder to have her as our next Vice Chief.”
I think these early tours demonstrate the qualities and characteristics that Lisa has kept with her and which have made her so successful in some of our most challenging assignments both afloat and ashore.
When she commanded USS Ross, she was singled out both for her tactical expertise and for the climate of trust and empowerment she created. The ship earned the Battle “E”, and she selflessly shared operational best practices throughout the waterfront. Her boss at the time said you could feel her crew’s pride and high morale from the moment you crossed the quarterdeck.
As Commodore for Destroyer Squadron 21, she was recognized for her “passionate and inclusive style,” setting up her commanding offers for success at every turn. Simultaneously, she planned and executed one of the most successful Pacific Partnership exercises ever.
Her teams delivered humanitarian and civic assistance to tens of thousands of people in southeast Asia, showcasing her talents as a warfighter, diplomat, and operational leader.
As flag officer in Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Korea, she earned the respect and admiration of her Korean counterparts, who valued her advice and counsel. By fostering teamwork and cultivating inclusivity, she strengthened the command … and the coalition.
A select few admirals have the coveted honor of commanding a strike group. Lisa Franchetti was called upon to command not one, but two strike groups … at the same time.
This included Carrier Strike Group 15, which is charged with training and certifying our west coast strike groups and is only entrusted to our sharpest tacticians and operators. Because Lisa had gained the right experience, worked to achieve the highest levels of expertise, and earned the trust of her superiors, and when the doors of opportunity opened – she was ready to walk through and take command.
As Commander of Sixth Fleet – and Adm. Foggo will attest to this – she oversaw the safe and successful dynamic force employment of the USS Harry S. Truman Strike Group to the High North, surprising the hell out of Russia – and many Navy skeptics – who hadn’t seen such a deployment in a generation.
Furthermore, she demonstrated operational innovation during BALTOPS ’18 by sending carrier-based aviation into the Baltic … from the Adriatic. And when the President called for strikes against chemical weapons facilities in Syria, Lisa’s forces flawlessly executed their portion of a multi-fleet, multi-combatant command, multi-national strike.
After the strike, Lisa visited one of the ships that shot the Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles into Syria. In thanking the crew for their efforts, one of the cooks said, “I didn’t do anything. I just make cookies.” Lisa stopped and said, “you prepare food for the people that launch the weapons—you have just as important a role as they do.” That’s how Lisa leads. Helping people, as she says, “connect the dots” to see how every individual contributes to the mission.
In her previous assignment here on the Joint Staff as the J-5, Lisa was one of the Chairman’s trusted agent in crisis, both during the historic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, and during the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war.
She provided counsel and advice, plans and policy, for some of our most difficult strategic challenges. As always, the tougher the assignment, the more she excels.
Now, as Lisa’s friend, retired Adm. Mary Jackson, reminds us, it should not be lost on anyone how hard it is to live the Navy dream while also being a wife and a mother. Lisa and her family have made hard decisions and sacrifices that have enabled her to be where she is right now. But the reason she remains on the Navy team is because they support each other and have formed a circle of strength.
The Navy is a family and we serve as families … and our Navy is fortunate to have Lisa’s husband Jim Sievert and her daughter Isabel by her side, along with her extended family who provide supporting fires: her sister Meg, here from Duluth, her brother Lawrence from Miami, and her Uncle Lin and Aunt Sue Snider from Frederick, Maryland.
Jim – a Naval Academy graduate, swimmer, runner, and voracious reader – has made the overseas moves with Lisa and provided stability at home. Jim, thank you for being a source of strength and constancy for your family. And Isabel – the apple of your mother’s eye – thank you for being an enduring well-spring of joy, pride, and love for your mom.
Ladies and gentlemen, in closing, as we prepare to promote Adm. Franchetti and send off Adm. Lescher, I think back to the image of Midshipman Franchetti leading her crew team across the waters of Lake Michigan in harmony, balance, and rhythm.
That image of a team pulling together as one, giving everything they have for one another, bound together in common purpose by pride, respect, humility, trust – and ultimately by love – that is a vision which describes our Navy at its finest. And that is what the dream of America should inspire in all of us. Clearly, it has inspired the two leaders we honor this morning.
Thank you … let’s promote Vice Adm. Franchetti!