Hegseth reassigns first female Naval Academy head
Navy Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the first female to serve as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy is being reassigned, the Defense Department announced Friday.
Davids was instead tapped to serve as deputy chief of naval operations, plans, strategy and warfighting development, according to a press release.
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte was named to lead the Naval Academy in her place — making him the first Marine to lead the institution.
“The Naval Academy remains one of the most consequential institutions in American public life. It forges leaders of character, men and women of integrity, resilience, and intellect who will guide our Fleet and our Nation through the challenges of an increasingly contested world,” Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan said in a statement.
“Lt. Gen. Borgschulte is uniquely prepared to lead the next generations of naval and marine officers and ensure they are ready for the future fight,” Phelan added.
Superintendents at the Naval Academy are there for at least three years typically, but the stint can be shorter. Davids, a 1989 graduate of the academy in Annapolis, Md., had been the leader of the institution since January 2024.
Her reassignment, which was first reported by USNI News, comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has overseen the shake-up of top military leaders. Trump removed Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr. in February and nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, who was eventually confirmed by the Senate for the role.
The administration also fired chief of naval operations Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, who was the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump also removed Adm. Linda Fagan, the first female U.S. Coast Guard commandant.
Phelan congratulated Davids on her appointment, adding that she commanded "at every level and has led with distinction in some of the most complex security environments of our time.”
“Her strategic vision and operational depth will be an exceptional asset to the Navy and the Department of Defense,” Phelan said.
Davids said in a statement that she was honored to be nominated to her new role.
"I look forward to continuing to serve alongside America's strongest warfighters," she wrote.