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Vice Chief of Naval Operations

Second highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy

Field	Value
post	Vice Chief
body	Naval Operations
insignia	File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg
insigniacaption	Mark of the U.S. Navy
flag	Flag of the United States Vice Chief of Naval Operations.svg
flagcaption	Flag of the vice chief of naval operations
image	ADM James W. Kilby.jpg
incumbent	Admiral James W. Kilby
incumbentsince	5 January 2024
department	United States NavyOffice of the Chief of Naval Operations
abbreviation	VCNO
reports_to	Chief of Naval Operations
appointer	The president
appointer_qualified	with Senate advice and consent
constituting_instrument
formation
first	Frederick J. Horne

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

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.{{cite web |access-date=17 June 2019

List of vice chiefs of naval operations

No.	Image	Name	Tenure	Post(s) held after VCNO tenure	Began	Ended
1	[[File:Admiral Frederick J Horne.png	75px]]	VADM (ADM) Frederick J. Horne	26 March 1942	2 September 1945	Retired, 1945
Promoted to admiral on 29 January 1945
2	[[File:ADM_Richard_S._Edwards.jpg	75px]]	ADM Richard S. Edwards Jr.	1945	1946	Commander, Western Sea Frontier (1946–1947)
Commander, Pacific Reserve Fleet (1946–1947)
Retired, 1947
3	[[File:Adm_ramsey.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:ADM_Arthur_Radford.JPG	75px]]	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	[[File:VADM_John_Dale_Price_USN_aviator_1892-1957.png	75px]]	VADM John D. Price	1949	1950	Retired, 1950
Promoted to admiral upon retirement
6	[[File:ADM_McCormick,_Lynde_D.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Donald_B_Duncan.jpg	75px]]	ADM Donald B. Duncan	1951	1956	Retired, 1956
8	[[File:Harry_Donald_Felt.jpg	75px]]	ADM Harry D. Felt	1956	1958	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1958–1964)
Retired, 1964
9	[[File:ADM James S. Russell.jpg	75px]]	ADM James S. Russell	21 July 1958	September 1961	Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (1961–1965)
Retired, 1965
10	[[File:ADM_Claude_V._Ricketts.jpg	75px]]	ADM Claude V. Ricketts	25 September 1961	6 July 1964	Died in office, 1964
11	[[File:Photograph of Vice Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr., United States Navy (cropped 3x4).jpg	75px]]	ADM Horacio Rivero, Jr.	July 1964	January 1968	Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (1968–1972)
Retired, 1972
12	[[File:Chick Clarey (edit).jpg	75px]]	ADM Bernard A. Clarey	January 1968		December 1970	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (1970–1973)
Retired 1973
13	[[File:L38-18 ADM Ralph W. Cousins.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:CINCPAC_ADM_Weisner.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:James_Holloway_III.jpg	75px]]	ADM James L. Holloway III	September 1973	1974	Chief of Naval Operations (1974–1978)
Retired, 1978
16	[[File:ADM_Worth_H._Bagley.jpg	75px]]	ADM Worth H. Bagley	June 1974	July 1975	Retired, 1975
17	[[File:ADM Shear, Harold Edson.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Robert_LJ_Long.jpg	75px]]	ADM Robert L. J. Long	July 1977	April 1979	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1979–1983)
Retired, 1983
19	[[File:Admiral James Watkins, official military photo.JPEG	75px]]	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	[[File:ADM Small, William Newell.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Ronald J Hays.jpg	75px]]	ADM Ronald J. Hays	1983	1985	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1985–1988)
Retired, 1988
22	[[File:James B Busey IV.jpg	75px]]	ADM James B. Busey IV	September 1985	March 1987	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	[[File:Huntington Hardisty.jpg	75px]]	ADM Huntington Hardisty	March 1987	1988	Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (1988–1991)
Retired, 1991
24	[[File:Portrait of US Navy Admiral Leon A. Edney.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Jerome L Johnson.jpg	75px]]	ADM Jerome L. Johnson	May 1990	July 1992	Retired, 1992
26	[[File:Stanley R Arthur.jpg	75px]]	ADM Stanley R. Arthur	6 July 1992	1995	Retired, 1995
27	[[File:Joseph W. Prueher, ADM USN, 1996.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Admiral Jay L. Johnson, 1996.jpg	75px]]	ADM Jay L. Johnson	April 1996	August 1996	Chief of Naval Operations (1996–2000)
Retired, 2000
29	[[File:Admiral Harold W. Gehman, Jr..jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Donald L Pilling.jpg	75px]]	ADM Donald L. Pilling	October 1997	October 2000	Retired, 2000
31	[[File:Adm. William J. Fallon.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Admiral Michael Mullen, official Navy photograph.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:John B. Nathman.jpg	75px]]	ADM John B. Nathman	August 2004	February 2005	Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (2005–2007)
Retired, 2007
34	[[File:Robert F. Willard cov.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:ADM_Walsh.jpg	75px]]	ADM Patrick M. Walsh	5 April 2007	13 August 2009	Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (2009–2012)
Retired, 2012
36	[[File:Jonathan W. Greenert 2010.jpg	75px]]	ADM Jonathan W. Greenert	13 August 2009	22 August 2011	Chief of Naval Operations (2011–2015)
Retired, 2015
37	[[File:ADM Mark E. Ferguson III VCNO.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Admiral_Michelle_J._Howard_VCNO.jpg	75px]]	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	[[File:Moran_2016_2.jpg	75px]]	ADM William F. Moran	31 May 2016	10 June 2019	Retired, 2019
40	[[File:Adm. Robert P. Burke.jpg	75px]]	ADM Robert 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	[[File:Adm. William K. Lescher.jpg	75px]]	ADM William K. Lescher	29 May 2020	2 September 2022	Retired, 2022
42	[[File:ADM Lisa M. Franchetti (2).jpg	75px]]	ADM Lisa M. Franchetti	2 September 2022	2 November 2023	Chief of Naval Operations (2023–2025)
43	[[File:ADM James W. Kilby.jpg	75px]]	ADM James W. Kilby	5 January 2024	Incumbent

References

(15 March 2025). "10 U.S. Code § 8035 - Vice Chief of Naval Operations".
"James B. Busey, Admiral USN (Ret.), NA #5081".
Burns, Robert. (7 July 2019). "Admiral to lead Navy instead will retire; bad judgment cited". [[La Crosse Tribune]].

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