Statutory office and the head of the U.S. Department of the Navy
The
secretary of the Navy
(
SECNAV
) is a statutory officer (
10 U.S.C.
§ 8013
) and the head (
chief executive officer
) of the
Department of the Navy
, a military department within the
United States Department of Defense
.
By law, the secretary of the Navy must
be a civilian
at least five years removed from active military service. The secretary is appointed by the
president
and requires confirmation by the
Senate
.
The secretary of the Navy was, from its creation in 1798, a member of the president's
Cabinet
until 1949, when the secretary of the Navy (and the secretaries of the
Army
and
Air Force
) were by amendments to the
National Security Act of 1947
made subordinate to the
secretary of defense
.
[1]
On August 7, 2021,
Carlos Del Toro
was confirmed as secretary of the Navy.
[2]
From 2001 to 2019, proposals to rename the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps, which would have also renamed the secretary of the Navy to the
secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps
, were introduced with wide support in the
United States Congress
, but failed due to the opposition of Senator and former U.S. Navy officer
John McCain
.
[3]
Responsibilities
[
edit
]
The Department of the Navy (DoN) consists of two
uniformed services
: the
United States Navy
and the
United States Marine Corps
.
[4]
The secretary of the Navy is responsible for, and has statutory authority (
10 U.S.C.
§ 8013
) to "conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Navy", i.e. as its chief executive officer, subject to the limits of the law, and the directions of the president and the secretary of defense. In effect, all authority within the Navy and Marine Corps, unless specifically exempted by law, is derivative of the authority vested in the secretary of the Navy.
Specifically enumerated responsibilities of the SECNAV in the aforementioned section are: recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, mobilizing, and demobilizing. The secretary also oversees the construction, outfitting, and repair of naval ships, equipment, and facilities. SECNAV is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the president or the secretary of defense.
[5]
[6]
The secretary of the Navy is a member of the
Defense Acquisition Board
(DAB), chaired by the
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
. Furthermore, the secretary has several statutory responsibilities under the
Uniform Code of Military Justice
(UCMJ) with respect to the administration of the military justice system for the Navy & the Marine Corps, including the authority to convene general courts-martial and to commute sentences.
The principal military advisers to the SECNAV are the two service chiefs of the naval services: for matters regarding the Navy the
chief of naval operations
(CNO), and for matters regarding the Marine Corps the
commandant of the Marine Corps
(CMC). The CNO and the Commandant act as the principal executive agents of the SECNAV within their respective services to implement the orders of the secretary.
Navy Regulations
[
edit
]
The
United States Navy Regulations
is the principal regulatory document of the Department of the Navy, and all changes to it must be approved by the secretary of the Navy.
U.S. Coast Guard
[
edit
]
Whenever the
United States Coast Guard
operates as a service within the Department of the Navy, the secretary of the Navy has the same powers and duties with respect to the Coast Guard as the
secretary of homeland security
when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy.
[7]
The Navy Secretariat
[
edit
]
The
Office of the Secretary of the Navy
, also known within DoD as the
Navy Secretariat
or simply just as the
Secretariat
in a DoN setting, is the immediate headquarters staff that supports the secretary in discharging his duties. The principal officials of the Secretariat include the
under secretary of the Navy
(the secretary's principal civilian deputy), the
assistant secretaries of the Navy
(ASN), the
general counsel of the Navy
, the
judge advocate general of the Navy
(JAG), the
Naval inspector general
(NIG), the
chief of Legislative Affairs
, and the
chief of naval research
. The Office of the Secretary of the Navy has sole responsibility within the Department of the Navy for acquisition, auditing, financial and information management, legislative affairs, and public affairs.
[8]
Pursuant to SecNavInst 5090.5F, the Department of the Navy
Environmental Programs Manual
, the secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations recognize a number of commands annually for achievements in such areas as
environmental quality
,
environmental cleanup
,
natural resources conservation
,
cultural resources management
,
pollution prevention
, and
recycling
.
[9]
The chief of naval operations and the commandant of the Marine Corps have their own separate staffs, the
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
(also known by its acronym OPNAV) and
Headquarters Marine Corps
.
Secretaries of the Navy
[
edit
]
[10]
Continental Congress
[
edit
]
Position
|
Portrait
|
Name
|
Term of office
|
Chairman of the Marine Committee
|
|
John Adams
|
13 October 1775 ? 1779
|
Member of the Marine Committee
|
|
John Langdon
|
13 October 1775??
|
Member of the Marine Committee
|
|
Silas Deane
|
13 October 1775??
|
Member of the Marine Committee
|
|
Joseph Hewes
|
1775
[11]
|
Continental Navy Board
(under Marine Committee)
|
|
|
6 November 1776 ? 28 October 1779
|
Chairman of the Continental Board of Admiralty
|
|
Francis Lewis
|
December 1779 ? 1780
|
Secretary of Marine
|
|
Alexander McDougall
|
7 February 1781 ? 29 August 1781
|
Agent of Marine
(devolved onto
Superintendent of Finance
)
|
|
Robert Morris
|
29 August 1781 ? 1784
[12]
|
(Post of Secretary of Marine created but remained vacant)
Executive Department, 1798?1949
[
edit
]
Denotes an
Acting
United States Secretary of the Navy
Military Department (Department of Defense), 1949?present
[
edit
]
Denotes an
Acting
United States Secretary of the Navy
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Guide to Federal Records ? General Records of the Department of the Navy, 1798?1947"
.
Archived
from the original on 17 September 2017
. Retrieved
23 September
2007
.
- ^
Quinn, Melissa; Segers, Grace (20 January 2021).
"Who is leading federal agencies until Senate confirms Biden's nominees"
.
CBS News
.
Archived
from the original on 21 January 2021
. Retrieved
20 January
2021
.
- ^
Bacon, Lance M. (2 May 2016).
"Congressman: I'll 'keep fighting like a bulldog' to rename the Navy Department for Marines"
. Marine Corps Times.
Archived
from the original on 13 February 2022
. Retrieved
16 March
2022
.
- ^
"Responsibilities"
.
The US Navy
. Archived from
the original
on 17 February 2012
. Retrieved
23 September
2007
.
- ^
"10 U.S. Code § 8013 ? Secretary of the Navy"
.
LII
.
Archived
from the original on 28 October 2022
. Retrieved
13 December
2022
.
- ^
"The Honorable Donald C. Winter"
.
U.S. Navy Biographies
. 3 January 2006. Archived from
the original
on 12 September 2007
. Retrieved
23 September
2007
.
- ^
"10 U.S. Code § 8013a ? Secretary of the Navy: powers with respect to Coast Guard"
.
Archived
from the original on 13 December 2022
. Retrieved
13 December
2022
.
- ^
"10 U.S. Code § 8014 ? Office of the Secretary of the Navy"
.
Archived
from the original on 13 December 2022
. Retrieved
13 December
2022
.
- ^
"Archived copy"
(PDF)
. Archived from the original on 1 April 2003
. Retrieved
4 December
2022
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link
)
- ^
"Department of the Navy, Office of the General Counsel (DON-OGC) ? OGC History"
. Archived from
the original
on 24 July 2007
. Retrieved
23 September
2007
.
- ^
Joseph Hewes
Archived
10 May 2013 at the
Wayback Machine
. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval Historical and Heritage Command.
- ^
Benson J. Lossing.
Household History for All Readers
Archived
30 June 2016 at the
Wayback Machine
. 1877. Republished in Our Country vol. 2
- ^
a
b
c
d
Staff reporter (29 December 2005).
"Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Relinquishes Top Navy Post"
. American Forces Press Service.
Archived
from the original on 27 May 2009
. Retrieved
18 May
2009
.
Navy Undersecretary Dionel M. Aviles will serve as acting Navy secretary effective today. Donald Winter, who was confirmed by the Senate last month, will be sworn in as the 74th secretary of the Navy on Jan. 3.
- ^
a
b
c
"Navy Secretary Departs Office"
(Press release). United States Department of Defense. 13 March 2009.
Archived
from the original on 9 May 2009
. Retrieved
18 May
2009
.
The 74th Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter, resigned his office today as planned. Winter had agreed to remain in office until March 13, 2009, to ease the transition of the Department of Defense. [...] BJ Penn will be the acting Secretary of the Navy until the Senate confirms a nominee chosen by President Barack Obama.
- ^
Staff reporter (19 May 2005).
"Mabus Sworn in as New Navy Secretary"
. NNS.
Archived
from the original on 27 May 2009
. Retrieved
20 May
2009
.
Ray Mabus, former Mississippi governor and U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was sworn in May 19 as the 75th secretary of the Navy.
(Archived by WebCite at
WebCite
)
- ^
"Kenneth Braithwaite Sworn in as Secretary of the Navy"
.
USNI News
. 29 May 2020.
Archived
from the original on 3 June 2020
. Retrieved
30 May
2020
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
- Secretary of Defense
- Lloyd Austin
- Deputy Secretary of Defense
- Kathleen Hicks
- Secretaries of the Military Departments
Secretary of the Army
:
Christine Wormuth
- Secretary of the Navy
:
Carlos Del Toro
- Secretary of the Air Force
:
Frank Kendall III
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Gen
Charles Q. Brown Jr.
,
USAF
- Under Secretaries of the Military Departments
Under Secretary of the Army
:
Gabe Camarillo
- Under Secretary of the Navy
:
Erik Raven
- Under Secretary of the Air Force
:
Kristyn E. Jones
(acting)
- Under Secretaries of Defense for
Acquisition and Sustainment
:
William A. LaPlante
- Research and Engineering
:
Heidi Shyu
- Policy
:
Amanda J. Dory
(acting)
- Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer
:
Michael J. McCord
- Personnel and Readiness
:
Ashish Vazirani
(acting)
- Intelligence
:
Milancy Harris
(acting)
- Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- ADM
Christopher W. Grady
,
USN
- Chiefs of the Military Services
Chief of Staff of the Army
: GEN
Randy A. George
- Commandant of the Marine Corps
: Gen
Eric M. Smith
- Chief of Naval Operations
: ADM
Lisa M. Franchetti
- Chief of Staff of the Air Force
: Gen
David W. Allvin
- Chief of Space Operations
: Gen
B. Chance Saltzman
- Chief of the National Guard Bureau
- GEN
Daniel R. Hokanson
,
USA
- Unified Combatant Command
Commanders
Africa
: Gen
Michael E. Langley
,
USMC
- Central
: GEN
Michael E. Kurilla
,
USA
- Cyber
: Gen
Timothy D. Haugh
,
USAF
- European
: GEN
Christopher G. Cavoli
,
USA
- Indo-Pacific
: ADM
Samuel J. Paparo Jr.
,
USN
- Northern
: Gen
Gregory M. Guillot
,
USAF
- Southern
: GEN
Laura J. Richardson
,
USA
- Space
: Gen
Stephen N. Whiting
,
USSF
- Special Operations
: GEN
Bryan P. Fenton
,
USA
- Strategic
: Gen
Anthony J. Cotton
,
USAF
- Transportation
: Gen
Jacqueline Van Ovost
,
USAF
| |
a
- Acting
|
|
---|
Leadership
|
| |
---|
Major
commands
| |
---|
Auxiliary
| |
---|
Structure
| |
---|
Personnel
and training
| |
---|
Uniforms
and equipment
| |
---|
History
and traditions
| |
---|
|