US Removes First Female Naval Academy Chief, Appoints Marine Corps Officer

For the first time in 180 years, a Marine Corps officer has been selected to lead the U.S. Naval Academy. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte, a career aviator, has been nominated to take over as the academy’s superintendent, replacing Vice Adm. Yvette M. Davids, the first woman to ever hold the post.

The announcement was made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has led several senior-level leadership changes in the military since his appointment.

President Donald Trump officially nominated Borgschulte for the role, moving Davids to the Pentagon for a new post as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, Strategy, and Warfighting Development.

Vice Adm. Davids took charge of the Naval Academy in January 2024, and her term is ending earlier than the usual three-year tenure.

According to U.S. law, superintendents of the academy are expected to serve a full term and retire at the end, unless Congress grants a waiver. In Davids’s case, the Secretary of the Navy is expected to request such a waiver so she can continue serving without retiring immediately.

Although Davids has been nominated for a senior position at the Pentagon, her removal marks the fourth time this year that a woman in a senior maritime leadership role has been dismissed or reassigned under the Trump administration.

Others who were removed include Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and Rear Adm. Joanna Nunan, who served as superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Rear Adm. Ann Phillips, the first female Maritime Administrator, resigned shortly before Trump took office.

Both Davids and Borgschulte were classmates at the Naval Academy in the late 1980s, but they followed very different career paths. Borgschulte chose the Marine Corps and became a helicopter pilot, flying the AH-1 Cobra during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He logged 700 hours of combat flight time and later led a helicopter unit in Afghanistan. His current role is deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, where he oversees the Marine Corps’ personnel policy and recruitment efforts.

As a student, Borgschulte played linebacker for the Naval Academy football team and was known by the call sign “Meat.”

Vice Adm. Davids pursued a Navy surface warfare career. She served on several warships, including USS David R. Ray, USS Normandy, USS Higgins, and USS Benfold. She later commanded the USS Curtis during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as the USS Bunker Hill and the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. Davids also held key roles in Washington, including within the office she is now nominated to lead.

Despite her reassignment, Davids said she is honored to continue serving and looks forward to her new role. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan stated that both Davids and Borgschulte represent the best of the naval service, and praised Davids for her leadership and strategic vision.

However, Davids’s brief time at the Naval Academy faced controversy. During her tenure, she followed orders from Defense Secretary Hegseth that included censoring parts of the curriculum, removing books on race and gender from the academy’s library, and canceling conferences and guest speakers. This led to the resignation of several faculty members who opposed the restrictions. The changes were part of a broader push by the Trump administration to eliminate what it describes as “woke” content in military institutions.

Earlier, before becoming defense secretary, Hegseth had publicly said in a podcast that women should not be in combat roles. He later retracted this statement during his Senate confirmation hearings.

Both Borgschulte and Davids will need Senate confirmation before assuming their new roles. If confirmed, Borgschulte will become the first Marine Corps officer ever to serve as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy since its founding in 1845.

Reference: stripes, USA Today

Source: Maritime Shipping News