As Chief of Naval Operations, she became the first woman to join the Joint Chiefs of Staff, an elite group of senior military officers. Her nomination was approved 95-1 as the Senate pushed to fill critical military leadership positions. 

The 38-year Navy veteran was in charge of naval operations as Vice Chief between September 2022 and November 2023. She served as the former commander of the US 6th Fleet and US naval forces in the Republic of Korea and an aircraft carrier strike commander. President Joe Biden nominated her, making her the first woman to lead a Pentagon military service branch.