The U.S. Navy¡¯s top leadership believed that Rear Adm. Stephen D. Barnett was by far the best choice to lead the command that oversees the Navy¡¯s bases at home and abroad.

He had more experience than the other candidates and had successfully managed the aftermath of one of the Navy¡¯s biggest messes, a fuel spill that contaminated an aquifer on a base in Hawaii, sickening thousands.

The final decision this spring fell to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.