The Navy’s top officer is cancer-free following her medical treatment after being diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer earlier this year, the service said Friday.
Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, was diagnosed in late June after a routine mammogram screening. She underwent a successful outpatient surgery in July at the John P. Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Navy officials said in a statement. She also completed radiation therapy and this month began maintenance endocrine therapy, Navy officials said.
During her surgery, Adm. Franchetti — the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff — temporarily transferred her authority to Adm, James Kilby, the vice chief of naval operations. Friday’s press release was the first time Navy officials disclosed Admiral Franchetti’s medical condition or that she wasn’t leading the Navy for a brief period of time.
Navy officials said Adm. Franchetti notified her chain of command, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, about the initial cancer diagnosis and her surgery.
Mr. Austin prompted a political firestorm in Washington after he was hospitalized on Jan. 1 following complications from an earlier surgical procedure for prostate cancer. The White House didn’t know about either event until three days later, the day before he was released from the hospital.
Mr. Austin’s authorities and responsibilities were temporarily transferred to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation at the time. The defense secretary apologized to President Biden for what he called a lack of disclosure and transparency at the Pentagon concerning his condition.