| Vice Chief of Naval Operations | |
|---|---|
 Mark of the U.S. Navy | |
 Flag of the vice chief of naval operations | |
 | |
| United States Navy Office of the Chief of Naval Operations | |
| Abbreviation | VCNO |
| Reports to | Chief of Naval Operations |
| Appointer | Thepresident withSenateadvice and consent |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 8035 |
| Formation | 26 March 1942; 83 years ago (1942-03-26) |
| First holder | Frederick J. Horne |
Thevice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissionedUnited States Navy officer and functions as the principal deputy of thechief of naval operations. By statute, the vice chief is appointed as a four-staradmiral.[1]
The senior leadership of theU.S. Department of the Navy consists of two civilians, thesecretary of the Navy (SECNAV) and theunder 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) andHeadquarters 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 theOffice 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 thepresident of the United States, and must be confirmed via majority vote by theSenate. 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.
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.[2]
| No. | Image | Name | Tenure | Post(s) held after VCNO tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Began | Ended | ||||
| 1 |  | VADM (ADM)Frederick J. Horne | 26 March 1942 | 2 September 1945 | Retired, 1945 Promoted to admiral on 29 January 1945 |
| 2 |  | ADMRichard S. Edwards Jr. | 1945 | 1946 | Commander,Western Sea Frontier (1946–1947) Commander,Pacific Reserve Fleet (1946–1947) Retired, 1947 |
| 3 |  | ADMDeWitt 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 |  | VADMArthur 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 |  | VADMJohn D. Price | 1949 | 1950 | Retired, 1950 Promoted to admiral upon retirement |
| 6 |  | ADMLynde 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 |  | ADMDonald B. Duncan | 1951 | 1956 | Retired, 1956 |
| 8 |  | ADMHarry D. Felt | 1956 | 1958 | Commander in Chief,U.S. Pacific Command (1958–1964) Retired, 1964 |
| 9 |  | ADMJames S. Russell | 21 July 1958 | September 1961 | Commander in Chief,Allied Forces Southern Europe (1961–1965) Retired, 1965 |
| 10 |  | ADMClaude V. Ricketts | 25 September 1961 | 6 July 1964 | Died in office, 1964 |
| 11 |  | ADMHoracio Rivero, Jr. | July 1964 | January 1968 | Commander in Chief,Allied Forces Southern Europe (1968–1972) Retired, 1972 |
| 12 | .jpg) | ADMBernard A. Clarey | December 1970 | Commander in Chief,U.S. Pacific Fleet (1970–1973) Retired 1973 | |
| 13 |  | ADMRalph 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 |  | ADMMaurice 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 |  | ADMJames L. Holloway III | September 1973 | 1974 | Chief of Naval Operations (1974–1978) Retired, 1978 |
| 16 |  | ADMWorth H. Bagley | June 1974 | July 1975 | Retired, 1975 |
| 17 |  | ADMHarold E. Shear | 1975 | 1977 | Commander in Chief,Allied Forces Southern Europe (1978–1980) Retired, 1980 Administrator of theMaritime Administration (1981–1985) |
| 18 |  | ADMRobert L. J. Long | July 1977 | April 1979 | Commander in Chief,U.S. Pacific Command (1979–1983) Retired, 1983 |
| 19 |  | ADMJames 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 |  | ADMWilliam 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 |  | ADMRonald J. Hays | 1983 | 1985 | Commander in Chief,U.S. Pacific Command (1985–1988) Retired, 1988 |
| 22 |  | ADMJames B. Busey IV | September 1985 | March 1987[3] | Commander in Chief,U.S. Naval Forces Europe (1987–1989) Commander in Chief,Allied Forces Southern Europe (1987–1989) Retired, 1989 Administrator of theFederal Aviation Administration (1989–1991) Deputy Secretary of Transportation (1991–1992) |
| 23 |  | ADMHuntington Hardisty | March 1987 | 1988 | Commander in Chief,U.S. Pacific Command (1988–1991) Retired, 1991 |
| 24 |  | ADMLeon A. Edney | August 1988 | May 1990 | Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (1990–1992) Commander in Chief,U.S. Atlantic Command (1990–1992) Retired, 1992 |
| 25 |  | ADMJerome L. Johnson | May 1990 | July 1992 | Retired, 1992 |
| 26 |  | ADMStanley R. Arthur | 6 July 1992 | 1995 | Retired, 1995 |
| 27 |  | ADMJoseph W. Prueher | April 1995 | 1996 | Commander in Chief,U.S. Pacific Command (1996–1999) Retired, 1999 U.S. Ambassador to China (1999–2001). |
| 28 |  | ADMJay L. Johnson | April 1996 | August 1996 | Chief of Naval Operations (1996–2000) Retired, 2000 |
| 29 |  | ADMHarold 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 |  | ADMDonald L. Pilling | October 1997 | October 2000 | Retired, 2000 |
| 31 |  | ADMWilliam 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 |  | ADMMichael 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 |  | ADMJohn B. Nathman | August 2004 | February 2005 | Commander,U.S. Fleet Forces Command (2005–2007) Retired, 2007 |
| 34 |  | ADMRobert 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 |  | ADMPatrick M. Walsh | 5 April 2007 | 13 August 2009 | Commander,U.S. Pacific Fleet (2009–2012) Retired, 2012 |
| 36 |  | ADMJonathan W. Greenert | 13 August 2009 | 22 August 2011 | Chief of Naval Operations (2011–2015) Retired, 2015 |
| 37 |  | ADMMark 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 |  | ADMMichelle 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 |  | ADMWilliam F. Moran | 31 May 2016 | 10 June 2019 | Retired, 2019[4] |
| 40 |  | ADMRobert P. Burke | 10 June 2019 | 29 May 2020 | Commander,United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa (2020–2022) Commander,Allied Joint Force Command Naples (2020–2022) Retired, 2022 |
| 41 |  | ADMWilliam K. Lescher | 29 May 2020 | 2 September 2022 | Retired, 2022 |
| 42 | .jpg) | ADMLisa M. Franchetti | 2 September 2022 | 2 November 2023 | Chief of Naval Operations (2023–2025) |
| 43 | | ADMJames W. Kilby | 5 January 2024 | Incumbent | |
