Biden names CIA director to his cabinet and picks first woman to lead US Navy

US President Joe Biden has said that he had asked CIA Director William Burns to become a member of his cabinet, elevating one of his closest advisers on national security and foreign policy.
“Under his leadership, the CIA is delivering a clear-eyed, long-term approach to our nation’s top national security challenges,” Biden said in a statement, referring to Burns’s approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and US competition with China.
The move was reported earlier by the Washington Post, which said it was largely symbolic and would not give Burns any new authorities.
Bonnie Glaser, head of the Indo-Pacific programme at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said the appointment reflected Biden’s confidence in Burns and his career experience.
Burns, who became the first career diplomat to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2021, “has made a significant contribution to national security decision-making, especially with regard to Russia and China”, Glaser said.
Burns is not the first CIA director to attain cabinet status.
Former president Bill Clinton also named his CIA directors – John Deutch and George Tenet – to serve in his cabinet, as did Ronald Reagan with William Casey.
Daniel Byman, director of the Security Studies Programme at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, saw it as testament to Burn’s “incredible effectiveness rather than a broader decision about the role of the CIA in cabinet”.
“Burns has been a very important part of Biden’s foreign policy, serving as of course an intelligence leader but also as a diplomat to Ukraine, the Middle East, and other parts of the world,” he said. “Biden wants to draw on Burns’ knowledge and skill as he shapes his foreign policy.”
A White House official said it was common for presidents to vary the agencies represented in their cabinets.
For instance, former president Barack Obama elevated the head of the Small Business Administration to the cabinet and Clinton added Federal Emergency Management Agency head James Witt to his cabinet.
Earlier in the day Biden announced that he will nominate Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the US Navy, which would make her the first woman to hold the position and to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
It is unclear if the Senate will confirm her by the time her predecessor leaves office, as a Republican lawmaker is stalling more than 200 senior military nominations to protest the Pentagon’s decision to assist troops who have to travel to receive abortions.
“Franchetti will bring 38 years of dedicated service to our nation as a commissioned officer, including in her current role of Vice-Chief of Naval Operations,” Biden said in a statement.
“She is the second woman ever to achieve the rank of four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and when confirmed, she will again make history as the first woman to serve as the Chief of Naval Operations and on the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” he said.
Franchetti has served on a series of surface vessels, commanding a guided missile destroyer, a destroyer squadron and two carrier strike groups.
She was deputy commander of US naval forces in Europe and as well as in Africa, and deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting development, among other positions.
She became vice-chief of naval operations in September 2022.
Admiral Mike Gilday is due to complete his four-year term as head of the Navy next month, but Franchetti’s confirmation will likely be held up by Senator Tommy Tuberville, who has been delaying the approval of military nominees for months.
The senator opposes the Pentagon’s decision to allow service members to take administrative absences to receive “non-covered reproductive healthcare” and to establish travel allowances to help them cover costs – policies put in place after the Supreme Court struck down the nationwide right to abortion last year.
Though the Senate – which must sign off on nominations of military officers – can still vote on them individually, Tuberville’s “hold” means they cannot be quickly approved in groups by unanimous consent.
Biden took aim at Tuberville in the statement, saying that delaying the approval of the nominees “is not only wrong – it is dangerous”.
Gilday would hand over to Franchetti in her capacity as his deputy in the event she is not confirmed when he leaves office, mirroring the current situation in the Marine Corps.
General Eric Smith – the assistant commandant – has been nominated to head the service, but has yet to be confirmed and has been serving in an acting capacity since July 10.
Other top officers are also due to leave office in the coming months, including Chief of Staff of the Army General James McConville and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley.