The head of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, will be reshuffled into a new position, the Defense Department announced Friday.
Navy Vice. Adm. Yvette M. Davids — the first woman to serve as the superintendent of the school — was nominated to become deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans, strategy and warfighting development.
“Vice Adm. Davids has commanded at every level and has led with distinction in some of the most complex security environments of our time,” Navy Secretary John Phelan said in the release announcing her reassignment. “Her strategic vision and operational depth will be an exceptional asset to the Navy and the Department of Defense.”
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte was nominated to replace Davids as superintendent of the academy. He is currently the deputy commandant of manpower and reserve affairs in Quantico, Virginia. If confirmed, he would become the first Marine to hold the post at the Naval Academy.
Davids, a 1989 graduate of the Naval Academy, became the head of the institution on Jan. 11, 2024.
At sea, she moved through the ranks from electrical officer to executive officer, eventually commanding the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Curts in the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, according to her Navy biography.
Once ashore, she took the role of senior military advisor to the assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. She served as the commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, was the chief of staff for U.S. Southern Command and took over as acting commander for Naval Surface Force.
While Davids’ tenure as superintendent of the Naval Academy lasted about 17 months, previous superintendents have typically served between three years and five years.
Some superintendents have served shorter terms, including Rear Adm. Richard Joseph Naughton, who held the job from 2002 to 2003. Naughton resigned after a military investigation found he had abused students and personnel, The Washington Post reported at the time.
The Defense Department did not specify the reason for Davids’ move.
“I’m honored to be nominated as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans, Strategy, and Warfighting Development,” Davids said in Friday’s release. “I look forward to continuing to serve alongside America’s strongest warfighters.”
President Donald Trump’s administration previously fired two senior female military leaders who were the first women to serve in their positions.
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Lee Fagan was fired the day Trump was inaugurated. She had served in the role since June 2022 and was the first uniformed woman to lead the military branch.
Fagan was relieved of her duties over failures to address border security and an “erosion of trust,” according to a senior Department of Homeland Security official, Fox News reported.
The media organization also cited Fagan’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as a mishandling of sexual assault cases, as catalysts for her ousting.
On Feb. 21, Trump fired Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as the Navy’s top officer and the first to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
No reason was given for Franchetti’s firing at the time.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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