Naval Academy head is latest high-ranking woman ousted by Hegseth
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Vice Admiral Yvette M. Davids at the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association 2024 Distinguished Graduate medal ceremony. Photo: Paul W. Gillespie/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The first woman to lead the U.S. Naval Academy is being reassigned by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Department of Defense said Friday.
The big picture: Vice Adm. Yvette Davids joins a growing list of women and people of color serving in top military roles to be ousted by the Trump administration, many of whom as part of a purge of so-called "wokeness" in the military.
Driving the news: Davids, who has been the superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy since January 2024, will be renominated to serve on the staff of the chief of naval operations, per the Pentagon.
- Superintendents of the Naval Academy are to serve terms no less than three years, according to federal law. But that can be waived.
- Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte has been nominated as her replacement, the Department of Defense announced Friday.
- Borgschulte would be the first Marine Corps officer to lead the U.S. Naval Academy in its 180-year history, according to U.S. Naval Institute News, which was first to report the story.
Zoom out: The Trump administration's mass firings and pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have included controversial dismissals of military leaders.
- Hegseth fired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, who served as the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee, in April.
- Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. Navy, and Adm. Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead the U.S. Coast Guard, were both removed earlier this year.
- Trump also booted former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr. Brown was the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force and the second Black general to serve as chairman.
Between the lines: Hegseth's contention that women should not hold combat roles was one of several controversies during his confirmation process.
What they're saying: "The Naval Academy remains one of the most consequential institutions in American public life," Navy Secretary John Phelan said in a statement congratulating Borgschulte.
- "If confirmed, he will be the first Marine to hold this prestigious post, a milestone that reflects the strength of our naval integration and the shared ethos of the Navy-Marine Corps team," he said.
- Phelan also congratulated Davids on her new appointment, saying she "has commanded at every level and has led with distinction in some of the most complex security environments of our time."
- A spokesperson for the Marine Corps. said the Office of the Secretary of Defense will provide an official statement once a candidate has been confirmed by the Senate.
- The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. The Naval Academy referred a comment request to the Navy.
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