Every president has the right to choose the top military leaders he wishes to rely on, be it for advice or to command forces. That President Trump has decided to replace the chairman of the joint chiefs, the heads of the Navy and Coast Guard, and several other senior officers is his call.

Whether he did so because he perceived their elevation as a result of the pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion or whether he simply didn’t like the cut of someone’s jib — such is his privilege. These officers were accountable to the commander in chief, just as the president is to the American people.

One of those relieved of command was Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Chief of Naval Operations. I sat next to her at dinner two weeks ago following her off-the-record talk at the Harvard Club in New York. After the nearly two-hour dinner, I said to our host, the indefatigable Jonathan Davis: 

 “I’ve known a lot of admirals since my days at Annapolis, and she is like every one of them: smart, candid, articulate, and confident — but with two differences. She is self-aware and the least arrogant admiral I’ve ever met.” She is also the only woman to hold the top job.

Ironically, on the day she was fired, I had sent her an email following up on a question she had asked me. I can convey some of what she wanted to share with the American people. And that was the critical role the Navy plays in keeping America safe; the challenges the sea service faces; and what she thinks the priorities are in maintaining our national security.

Her concerns were not a secret: she had spelled them out in her “Navigation Plan” for the Navy months before Mr. Trump was re-elected and before Pete Hegseth’s name was floated as a possible defense secretary. The focus was on war fighting and the need for greater lethality, along with a realist’s understanding that more money for more ships is not on the horizon.

The CNO’s job is not to fight battles; it is to organize, train and equip a Navy to deter aggression. If that is not possible, then to win the conflict.  Admiral Franchetti was surprisingly candid in her concerns and her priorities. Not surprisingly, the first two priorities were warfighting and warfighters. Her third was something she referred to as strengthening the foundation. 

Ensuring that the ships we have are fully operational and available for deployment seems obvious. Yet years of having too few ships trying to do too many missions has resulted in what my academy roommate, Captain Dick Costello, now retired, refers to as “running them hard and putting them away wet.”

Recognizing this, Admiral Franchetti’s first “line of effort” was to “ready the force by eliminating ship, submarine, and aircraft maintenance delays.” Not sexy, but essential. Her second priority was to scale robotic and autonomous systems and integrate them into the fleet as quickly as possible.

Ensuring that the Navy is able to attract, train, and retain enough capable sailors who want to serve is no small task. The Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard have all had problems meeting their goals. Only the Marine Corps has consistently hit their target. Despite the critics, nowhere in the Nav Plan is there even a hint of DEI. 

Admiral Franchetti’s third priority was broader: What she referred to as the foundation. That was what our dinner mostly focused on: What does the Navy have to do to build trust not just with Congress, but with academia, with industry, with entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley — and with the American people. 

Our dinner conversation ranged from our kids — hers in college, my youngest about to be medically retired from the Marine Corps — to the challenges of getting laser weapons aboard ships. She reflected that the best job she ever had was her first ship command, a guided missile destroyer.

When we parted, we both understood that she had a two-part challenge: first, to continue trying to implement a plan that was in sync with what President Trump and Secretary Hegseth had been articulating. Second, not to allow her being the messenger and executioner of that plan to derail it. 

As we left Harvard Hall, we passed a plaque with the names of grads who had been awarded the Medal of Honor; and second with names of many more who had, as Abraham Lincoln said, given their last full measure of devotion.  As she leaves the Navy after 38 years, the nation sends her off with gratitude and a wish for fair winds and following seas.