Adm. Lisa Franchetti is now in charge of the U.S. Navy.
She was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday despite attempts from Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville to block military nominees in protest of the Pentagon's abortion policy.
Franchetti is now the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which advises the president about military operations.
The Department of Defense says Franchetti's military career began in 1985 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps Program at Northwestern University.
Her achievements include serving as the commander for multiple strike groups and director for Strategy Plans and Policy for the Navy.
Franchetti has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern. She also attended the Naval War College and has a master's degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix.
Senate confirms chairman of Joint Chiefs, evading GOP senator's block
Gen. CQ Brown will be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after Gen. Mark Milley retires at the end of September.
Two other top military officers were confirmed alongside Franchetti on Thursday.
David Allvin was named chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney was confirmed to serve as assistant commandant for the U.S. Marine Corps.
Their confirmations came with bipartisan support despite objection from Tuberville, who has been holding the nominations up in committee. He's taken the stance because he wants the Biden administration to end a policy of paying the travel expenses of servicemembers who travel to another state for an abortion.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer bypassed Tuberville by putting the nominations to a full floor vote, but has repeatedly said he can't do that for the hundreds of military promotions that need congressional approval.
