Vice Chief of Naval Operations

Vice Chief of Naval Operations
Vice Chief of Naval Operations
	Mark of the U.S. Navy
	Flag of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations
	Incumbent; Admiral William K. Lescher ; since 29 May 2020
	United States Navy ; Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
Abbreviation	VCNO
Reports to	Chief of Naval Operations
Appointer	The President ; with Senate advice and consent
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 8035
Formation	26 March 1942;80 years ago
First holder	Frederick J. Horne

Last updated August 24, 2022

The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer in the Department of the Navy and functions as the principal deputy of the chief of naval operations and by statute, the vice chief is appointed as a four-star admiral.^[2]

Role

The senior leadership of the U.S. Department of the Navy consists of two civilians, the secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) and the under secretary of the Navy (USECNAV), as well as the four senior commissioned officers on the two military service staffs: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) and Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC).

The vice chief is the principal deputy of the chief of Naval operations (CNO). The vice chief may also perform other delegated duties that either the secretary of the Navy or the CNO assigns to him or her. If the CNO is absent or is unable to perform their duties, then the vice chief assumes the duties and responsibilities of the CNO. Within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, while there are several Deputy Chiefs of Naval Operations (DCNOs) of either three or two star rank, there is only one VCNO.

The vice chief is appointed by the president of the United States, and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. While there is not a fixed term nor a term limit in the statute; the historical precedent is that a vice chief of naval operations serves for a tenure of two to three years.

Historical background

The equivalent of the current VCNO position was called Assistant for Operations in 1915, and Assistant Chief of Naval Operations in 1922. In 1942 the title became Vice Chief of Naval Operations.^[4]

List of Vice Chiefs of Naval Operations

No.	Image	Name	Tenure		Post(s) held after VCNO tenure
No.	Image	Name	Began	Ended	Post(s) held after VCNO tenure
1		VADM (ADM) Frederick J. Horne	26 March 1942	2 September 1945	Retired, 1945 Promoted to admiral on 29 January 1945
2		ADM Richard S. Edwards Jr.	1945	1946	Commander, Western Sea Frontier (1946–1947) Commander, Pacific Reserve Fleet (1946–1947) Retired, 1947
3		ADM DeWitt Clinton Ramsey	15 January 1946	3 January 1948	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1948–1949) Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1948–1949 High Commissioner, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (1948–1949) Retired, 1949
4		VADM Arthur W. Radford	January 1948	May 1949	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1949–1953) Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1949–1953) High Commissioner, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (1949–1951) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1953–1957) Retired, 1957
5		VADM John D. Price	1949	1950	Retired, 1950 Promoted to admiral upon retirement
6		ADM Lynde D. McCormick	1950	1951	Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command (1951–1954) Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (1951–1954) Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (1952–1954) Retired, 1954
7		ADM Donald B. Duncan	1951	1956	Retired, 1956
8		ADM Harry D. Felt	1956	1958	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1958–1964) Retired, 1964
9		ADM James S. Russell	21 July 1958	September 1961	Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (1961–1965) Retired, 1965
10		ADM Claude V. Ricketts	25 September 1961	6 July 1964	Died in office, 1964
11		ADM Horacio Rivero, Jr.	July 1964	January 1968	Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (1968–1972) Retired, 1972
12		ADM Bernard A. Clarey		December 1970	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1970–1973) Retired 1973
13		ADM Ralph W. Cousins	1970	1972	Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (1972–1975) Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command (1972–1975) Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (1972–1975) Retired, 1975
14		ADM Maurice F. Weisner	1972	1973	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1973–1976) Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1976–1979) Retired, 1979
15		ADM James L. Holloway III	September 1973	1974	Chief of Naval Operations (1974–1978) Retired, 1978
16		ADM Worth H. Bagley	June 1974	July 1975	Retired, 1975
17		ADM Harold E. Shear	1975	1977	Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (1978–1980) Retired, 1980 Administrator of the Maritime Administration (1981–1985)
18		ADM Robert L. J. Long	July 1977	April 1979	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1979–1983) Retired, 1983
19		ADM James D. Watkins	April 1979	1981	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1981–1982) Chief of Naval Operations (1982–1986) Retired, 1986 Secretary of Energy (1989–1993)
20		ADM William N. Small	1981	1983	Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (1983–1985) Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (1983–1985) Retired, 1985
21		ADM Ronald J. Hays	1983	1985	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1985–1988) Retired, 1988
22		ADM James B. Busey IV	September 1985	March 1987^[5]	Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (1987–1989) Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (1987–1989) Retired, 1989 Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (1989–1991) Deputy Secretary of Transportation (1991–1992)
23		ADM Huntington Hardisty	March 1987	1988	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1988–1991) Retired, 1991
24		ADM Leon A. Edney	August 1988	May 1990	Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (1990–1992) Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command (1990–1992) Retired, 1992
25		ADM Jerome L. Johnson	May 1990	July 1992	Retired, 1992
26		ADM Stanley R. Arthur	6 July 1992	1995	Retired, 1995
27		ADM Joseph W. Prueher	April 1995	1996	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1996–1999) Retired, 1999 U.S. Ambassador to China (1999–2001).
28		ADM Jay L. Johnson	April 1996	August 1996	Chief of Naval Operations (1996–2000) Retired, 2000
29		ADM Harold W. Gehman, Jr.	September 1996	September 1997	Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (1997–2000) Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command (1997–1999) Commander in Chief, U.S. Joint Forces Command (1999–2000) Retired, 2000
30		ADM Donald L. Pilling	October 1997	October 2000	Retired, 2000
31		ADM William J. Fallon	October 2000	August 2003	Commander, Fleet Forces Command/U.S. Atlantic Fleet (2003–2005) Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (2005–2007) Commander, U.S. Central Command (2007–2008) Retired, 2008
32		ADM Michael G. Mullen	August 2003	August 2004	Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (2004–2005) Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples (2004–2005) Chief of Naval Operations (2005–2007) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2007–2011) Retired, 2011
33		ADM John B. Nathman	August 2004	February 2005	Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (2005–2007) Retired, 2007
34		ADM Robert F. Willard	18 March 2005	5 April 2007	Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (2007–2009) Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (2009–2012) Retired, 2012
35		ADM Patrick M. Walsh	5 April 2007	13 August 2009	Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (2009–2012) Retired, 2012
36		ADM Jonathan W. Greenert	13 August 2009	22 August 2011	Chief of Naval Operations (2011–2015) Retired, 2015
37		ADM Mark E. Ferguson III	22 August 2011	1 July 2014	Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (2014–2016) Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa (2014–2016) Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples (2014–2016) Retired, 2016
38		ADM Michelle J. Howard	1 July 2014	31 May 2016	Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (2016–2017) Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa (2016–2017) Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples (2016–2017) Retired, 2017
39		ADM William F. Moran	31 May 2016	10 June 2019	Retired, 2019^[6]
40		ADM Robert P. Burke	10 June 2019	29 May 2020	Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa (2020–present) Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples (2020–present)
41		ADM William K. Lescher	29 May 2020	incumbent

Related Research Articles

The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CNO is a military adviser to the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, the secretary of defense, and the president. The current chief of naval operations is Admiral Michael M. Gilday.

The secretary of the Navy is a statutory officer and the head of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense.

Flags of the United States Armed Forces Banners which represent branches of US military forces

The several branches of the United States Armed Forces are represented by flags. Within the U.S. military, various flags fly on various occasions, and on various ships, bases, camps, and military academies.

The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy is a unique non-commissioned rank and position of office of the United States Navy, which has with it the paygrade of E-9. The holder of this position is the most senior enlisted member of the U.S. Navy, equivalent to the Sergeant Major of the Army, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force. The current MCPON is Russell Smith.

Admiral is a four-star commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below fleet admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health Service do not have an established grade above admiral. Admiral is equivalent to the rank of general in the other uniformed services. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps has never had an officer hold the grade of admiral. However, 37 U.S.C. § 201 of the U.S. Code established the grade for the NOAA Corps, in case a position is created that merits the four-star grade.

In the United States military, a general is the most senior general-grade officer; it is the highest achievable commissioned officer rank that may be attained in the United States Armed Forces, with exception of the Navy and Coast Guard, which have the equivalent rank of admiral instead. The official and formal insignia of "general" is defined by its four stars.

In the United States Armed Forces, a lieutenant general is a three-star general officer in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force.

The structure of the United States Navy consists of four main bodies: the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the operating forces, and the Shore Establishment.

The vice chief of staff of the Army (VCSA) is the principal deputy to the chief of staff of the Army, and is the second-highest-ranking officer on active duty in the Department of the Army.

The Judge Advocate General of the Navy (JAG) is the highest-ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy. The Judge Advocate General is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations on legal matters pertaining to the Navy. The Judge Advocate General also performs other duties prescribed to them under 10 U.S.C. § 5148 and those prescribed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Admiral Frederick Joseph Horne was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. As the first Vice Chief of Naval Operations, he directed all Navy logistics during World War II.

William Francis Moran is a United States Navy admiral who served as the 39th Vice Chief of Naval Operations from May 31, 2016, to June 10, 2019. He previously served as the Chief of Naval Personnel and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (N1) from August 2, 2013, to May 27, 2016.

Roy Lewis Kline was a decorated naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. A veteran of World War II, he distinguished himself as assistant air officer on the staff of Tenth Army during the Battle of Okinawa. Kline later served as Military Secretary to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Randolph M. Pate from 1958 to 1960.

References

↑ Vice Chief of Naval Operations Changes Office
↑ "10 USC 5035. Vice Chief of Naval Operations" . Retrieved 6 November 2007.
↑ "Adm. William Lescher Now Vice Chief of Naval Operations". navy.mil. United States Navy. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
↑ "Vice Chief of Naval Operations". Lists of Senior Officers and Civilian Officials of the US Navy. Naval History and Heritage Command. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
↑ "James B. Busey, Admiral USN (Ret.), NA #5081" (PDF). Retrieved 30 January 2022.
↑ Burns, Robert (7 July 2019). "Admiral to lead Navy instead will retire; bad judgment cited". La Crosse Tribune . Associated Press . Retrieved 8 July 2019.

External links

Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Vice Chief of Naval Operations Changes Office

[2] "10 USC 5035. Vice Chief of Naval Operations" . Retrieved 6 November 2007.

[3] "Adm. William Lescher Now Vice Chief of Naval Operations". navy.mil. United States Navy. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.

[4] "Vice Chief of Naval Operations". Lists of Senior Officers and Civilian Officials of the US Navy. Naval History and Heritage Command. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2019.

[5] "James B. Busey, Admiral USN (Ret.), NA #5081" (PDF). Retrieved 30 January 2022.

[6] Burns, Robert (7 July 2019). "Admiral to lead Navy instead will retire; bad judgment cited". La Crosse Tribune . Associated Press . Retrieved 8 July 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]