United States Secretary of the Navy

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Not to be confused with Chief of Naval Operations.

Template:Infobox official post 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. On April 22, 2026, Hung Cao became acting Secretary of the Navy following the removal of John Phelan.[1]

By law, the secretary of the Navy must be a civilian at least seven years removed from active military service (10 U.S.C. § 8013). The secretary is appointed by the president and requires confirmation by the Senate.

History

The position of Secretary of the Navy was created in 1798. It was 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.[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 retired U.S. Navy officer John McCain.[3]

Responsibilities

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.

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

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 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 their 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, respectively.

Line of Succession

If the Secretary of the Navy dies, resigns, is removed from office, is absent, or is disabled the people in the follow order serve as Acting Secretary[10]:

# Office
1 Under Secretary of the Navy
2* Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment)
3 General Counsel of the Department of the Navy
4 Chief of Naval Operations
5 Commandant of the Marine Corps
*Order of Succession is determined by the Secretary of Defense

Secretaries of the Navy

  Denotes acting secretaries

[11]

Continental Congress

Position Portrait Name Term of office
Chairman of the Marine Committee File:Gilbert Stuart, John Adams, c. 1800-1815, NGA 42933.jpg John Adams 13 October 1775 – 1779
Member of the Marine Committee File:John langdon.jpg John Langdon 13 October 1775–?
Member of the Marine Committee File:Silas Deane - Du Simitier and B.L. Prevost.jpg Silas Deane 13 October 1775–?
Member of the Marine Committee File:Joseph Hewes.png Joseph Hewes 1775[12]
Continental Navy Board
(under Marine Committee) 		6 November 1776 – 28 October 1779
Chairman of the Continental Board of Admiralty File:Francis Lewis.jpg Francis Lewis December 1779 – 1780
Secretary of Marine File:AlexanderMcdougall.jpg Alexander McDougall 7 February 1781 – 29 August 1781
Agent of Marine
(devolved onto Superintendent of Finance) 		File:Robert Morris by Charles Willson Peale, c. 1782 (New Orleans Mus of Art 78.2) - wide crop.jpg Robert Morris 29 August 1781 – 1784[13]

(Post of Secretary of Marine created but remained vacant)

Executive Department, 1798–1949

  Denotes an Acting United States Secretary of the Navy
No. Portrait Name State Start End President(s)
1 File:Benjamin Stoddert SecNavy.jpg Benjamin Stoddert Maryland 18 June 1798 31 March 1801 John Adams
(1797–1801)
Thomas Jefferson
(1801–1809)
2 File:Secretary of the Navy, Robert Smith.jpg Robert Smith Maryland 27 July 1801 4 March 1809
3 File:SECNAVY Paul Hamilton.jpg Paul Hamilton South Carolina 15 May 1809 31 December 1812 James Madison
(1809–1817)
4 File:Secratary of the Navy, William Jones.jpg William Jones Pennsylvania 19 January 1813 1 December 1814
5 File:BenjaminWilliamsCrowninshield.jpg Benjamin Crowninshield Massachusetts 16 January 1815 30 September 1818
James Monroe
(1817–1825)
6 File:Secretary of the Navy, Smith Thompson.jpg Smith Thompson New York 1 January 1819 31 August 1823
7 File:Samuel L. Southard.jpg Samuel L. Southard New Jersey 16 September 1823 4 March 1829
John Quincy Adams
(1825–1829)
8 File:John Branch.jpg John Branch North Carolina 9 March 1829 12 May 1831 Andrew Jackson
(1829–1837)
9 File:Secretary of the Navy, Levi Woodbury.jpg Levi Woodbury New Hampshire 23 May 1831 30 June 1834
10 File:Secretary of the Navy, Mahlon Dickerson.jpg Mahlon Dickerson New Jersey 1 July 1834 30 June 1838
Martin Van Buren
(1837–1841)
11 File:James K. Paulding.jpg James K. Paulding New York 1 July 1838 4 March 1841
12 File:Secretary of the Navy, George E. Badger.jpg George E. Badger North Carolina 6 March 1841 11 September 1841 William Henry Harrison
(1841)
John Tyler
(1841–1845)
13 File:Abel P. Upshur.jpg Abel P. Upshur Virginia 11 October 1841 23 July 1843
14 File:David Henshaw.jpg David Henshaw Massachusetts 24 July 1843 18 February 1844
15 File:Thomas W. Gilmer.jpg Thomas W. Gilmer Virginia 19 February 1844 28 February 1844
16 File:JYMason.jpg John Y. Mason Virginia 26 March 1844 4 March 1845
17 File:George Bancroft United States Secretary of Navy c. 1860.jpg George Bancroft Massachusetts 11 March 1845 9 September 1846 James K. Polk
(1845–1849)
18 File:JYMason.jpg John Y. Mason Virginia 10 September 1846 4 March 1849
19 File:WmBdPreston.jpg William B. Preston Virginia 8 March 1849 22 July 1850 Zachary Taylor
(1849–1850)
20 File:William Alexander Graham - Brady-Handy.jpg William Graham North Carolina 2 August 1850 25 July 1852 Millard Fillmore
(1850–1853)
21 File:John Pendleton Kennedy Smithosonian 1.jpg John P. Kennedy Maryland 26 July 1852 4 March 1853
22 File:James Cochran Dobbin, attributed to John Cranch, c. 1845, oil on canvas, from the National Portrait Gallery - NPG-9300792A.jpg James C. Dobbin North Carolina 8 March 1853 4 March 1857 Franklin Pierce
(1853–1857)
23 File:Isaac Toucey - Brady-Handy.jpg Isaac Toucey Connecticut 7 March 1857 4 March 1861 James Buchanan
(1857–1861)
24 File:Gideon Welles cph.3b20114.jpg Gideon Welles Connecticut 7 March 1861 4 March 1869 Abraham Lincoln
(1861–1865)
Andrew Johnson
(1865–1869)
25 File:Adolph Borie, Brady-Handy bw photo portrait, ca1860-1875.jpg Adolph E. Borie Pennsylvania 9 March 1869 25 June 1869 Ulysses S. Grant
(1869–1877)
26 File:George Robeson 1865 1880.jpg George M. Robeson New Jersey 26 June 1869 4 March 1877
Acting File:William Faxon.jpg William Faxon 4 March 1877 13 March 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes
(1877–1881)
27 File:RWThompson.jpg Richard W. Thompson Indiana 13 March 1877 20 December 1880
28 File:Nathan Goff, Jr. - Brady-Handy.jpg Nathan Goff Jr. West Virginia 7 January 1881 4 March 1881
29 File:William-Henry-Hunt.jpg William H. Hunt Louisiana 7 March 1881 16 April 1882 James A. Garfield
(1881)
Chester A. Arthur
(1881–1885)
30 File:Wm Eaton Chandler.jpg William E. Chandler New Hampshire 16 April 1882 4 March 1885
31 File:William Collins Whitney by Charles Milton Bell c1892.jpg William C. Whitney New York 7 March 1885 4 March 1889 Grover Cleveland
(1885–1889)
32 File:BFTracy.jpg Benjamin F. Tracy New York 6 March 1889 4 March 1893 Benjamin Harrison
(1889–1893)
33 File:Hilary A. Herbert.jpg Hilary A. Herbert Alabama 7 March 1893 4 March 1897 Grover Cleveland
(1893–1897)
34 File:JDLong.jpg John Davis Long Massachusetts 6 March 1897 30 April 1902 William McKinley
(1897–1901)
Theodore Roosevelt
(1901–1909)
35 File:WHMoody.jpg William Moody Massachusetts 1 May 1902 30 June 1904
36 File:Paul Morton.jpg Paul Morton Illinois 1 July 1904 30 June 1905
37 File:CJBonaparte.jpg Charles Bonaparte Maryland 1 July 1905 16 December 1906
38 File:Victor H Metcalf 002.jpg Victor H. Metcalf California 17 December 1906 30 November 1908
39 File:Truman Handy Newberry (cropped).jpg Truman Handy Newberry Michigan 1 December 1908 4 March 1909
40 File:Portrait of George von Lengerke Meyer.jpg George von Lengerke Meyer Massachusetts 6 March 1909 4 March 1913 William Howard Taft
(1909–1913)
41 File:Josephus Daniels 1.jpg Josephus Daniels North Carolina 5 March 1913 4 March 1921 Woodrow Wilson
(1913–1921)
42 File:ECDenby.jpg Edwin Denby Michigan 6 March 1921 10 March 1924 Warren G. Harding
(1921–1923)
Calvin Coolidge
(1923–1929)
Acting File:LC-DIG-ggbain-37582.jpg Theodore Roosevelt Jr. 10 March 1924 19 March 1924
43 File:Curtis D. Wilbur, (3-24-24) LOC npcc.10863 (cropped).jpg Curtis D. Wilbur California 19 March 1924 4 March 1929
44 File:Charles Francis AdamsⅢ.jpg Charles Francis Adams III Massachusetts 5 March 1929 4 March 1933 Herbert Hoover
(1929–1933)
45 File:SWANSON, CLAUDE. HONORABLE LCCN2016856629 (3x4a).jpg Claude A. Swanson Virginia 4 March 1933 7 July 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1933–1945)
46 File:Charles Edison.jpg Charles Edison New Jersey 7 July 1939 2 January 1940
2 January 1940 24 June 1940
Acting File:Lewis Compton (Assistant Secretary of the Navy).jpg Lewis Compton 24 June 1940 11 July 1940
47 File:Frank Knox 1940s portrait.jpg Frank Knox Illinois 11 July 1940 28 April 1944
Acting File:Ralph A. Bard cph.3a40857.jpg Ralph Austin Bard 28 April 1944 19 May 1944
48 File:James Forrestal - SecOfDef.jpg James Forrestal New York 19 May 1944 17 September 1947
Harry S. Truman
(1945–1953)
49 File:John L Sullivan SecofNavy.jpg John Sullivan New Hampshire 18 September 1947 24 May 1949
50 File:Francis P. Matthews.jpg Francis P. Matthews Nebraska 25 May 1949 10 August 1949

Military Department (Department of Defense), 1949–present

  Denotes an Acting United States Secretary of the Navy
No. Portrait Name Term of office President(s)
Start End Duration
(Days)
50 File:Francis P. Matthews.jpg Francis P. Matthews 10 August 1949 31 July 1951 Template:Age in days Harry S. Truman
(1945–1953)
51 File:DanAKimball.jpg Dan A. Kimball 31 July 1951 20 January 1953 Template:Age in days
52 File:80-G-K-14927 Robert B. Anderson.jpg Robert Anderson 4 February 1953 3 March 1954 Template:Age in days Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953–1961)
53 File:CharlesSThomas Cropped.jpg Charles Thomas 3 May 1954 1 April 1957 Template:Age in days
54 File:Thomas S Gates Jr..jpg Thomas S. Gates Jr. 1 April 1957 8 June 1959 Template:Age in days
55 File:K-19407 William B. Franke official portrait (cropped).jpg William B. Franke 8 June 1959 19 January 1961 Template:Age in days
56 File:John Connally.jpg John Connally 25 January 1961 20 December 1961 Template:Age in days John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)
57 File:FredKorth.jpg Fred Korth 4 January 1962 1 November 1963 Template:Age in days
Acting File:PaulBFay.jpg Paul B. Fay 2 November 1963 28 November 1963 Template:Age in days
Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
58 File:Nitze, Paul.jpg Paul Nitze 29 November 1963 30 June 1967 Template:Age in days
Acting Charles F. Baird 1 July 1967 31 August 1967 Template:Age in days
59 File:Ignatius, Paul Robert.jpg Paul Ignatius 1 September 1967 24 January 1969 Template:Age in days
Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
60 File:J.L. 3814 John H. Chafee, 1969 (cropped)-2.jpg John Chafee 31 January 1969 4 May 1972 Template:Age in days
61 File:John W Warner Sec of Navy.jpg John Warner 4 May 1972 8 April 1974 Template:Age in days
62 File:John William Middendorf (1969).jpg J. William Middendorf 8 April 1974 20 January 1977 Template:Age in days
Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
63 File:W. Graham Claytor 1984.jpg W. Graham Claytor Jr. 14 February 1977 24 August 1979 Template:Age in days Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
64 File:I06944k.jpg Edward Hidalgo 24 October 1979 20 January 1981 Template:Age in days
65 File:John Lehman, official photo as Secretary of the Navy, 1982.JPEG John Lehman 5 February 1981 10 April 1987 Template:Age in days Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
66 File:James Webb, Assistant Secretary of Defense, official photo.JPEG Jim Webb 1 May 1987 23 February 1988 Template:Age in days
67 File:Secretary of the Navy William Ball.jpg William L. Ball 28 March 1988 15 May 1989 Template:Age in days
George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
68 File:Henry Lawrence Garrett III, official Navy photo, 1987.jpg Henry L. Garrett III 15 May 1989 26 June 1992 Template:Age in days
Acting File:J. Daniel Howard, Under Secretary of the Navy (2).jpg Daniel Howard 26 June 1992 7 July 1992 Template:Age in days
69 File:Sean O'Keefe, official Navy photo, 1992.jpg Sean O'Keefe 7 July 1992 2 October 1992 Template:Age in days
2 October 1992 20 January 1993 Template:Age in days
Acting File:Admiral Frank Kelso, official military photo.JPEG Frank Kelso 20 January 1993 21 July 1993 Template:Age in days Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
70 File:DaltonJohn.jpg John H. Dalton 22 July 1993 16 November 1998 Template:Age in days
71 File:Richard Danzig, official Navy photo.jpg Richard Danzig 16 November 1998 20 January 2001 Template:Age in days
Acting File:Robert Pirie, official photo portrait, circa 2001.jpg Robert B. Pirie Jr. 20 January 2001 24 May 2001 Template:Age in days George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
72 File:Gordon England portrait.jpg Gordon R. England 24 May 2001 30 January 2003 Template:Age in days
Acting File:US Navy 030202-N-0000X-001 Under Secretary of the Navy.jpg Susan Livingstone 30 January 2003 7 February 2003 Template:Age in days
Acting File:US Navy 030402-N-0000X-001 Secretary of the Navy Hansford T. Johnson (Acting).jpg Hansford T. Johnson 7 February 2003 30 September 2003 Template:Age in days
73 File:Gordon England portrait.jpg Gordon R. England 1 October 2003 29 December 2005[14] Template:Age in days
Acting File:AvilesDionel.jpg Dionel M. Aviles 29 December 2005[14] 3 January 2006[14] Template:Age in days
74 File:Donald Winter, official photo as Secretary of the Navy, 2006.jpg Donald C. Winter 3 January 2006[14] 13 March 2009[15] Template:Age in days
Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
Acting File:PennBJ.jpg B. J. Penn 13 March 2009[15] 19 May 2009[16] Template:Age in days
75 File:SECNAV-Mabus-OfficialPhoto2-2014.jpg Ray Mabus 19 May 2009[15] 20 January 2017 Template:Age in days
Acting File:Sean J. Stackley.jpg Sean Stackley 20 January 2017 3 August 2017 Template:Age in days Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
76 File:Richard V. Spencer.jpg Richard V. Spencer 3 August 2017 15 July 2019 Template:Age in days
Acting File:Thomas B. Modly.jpg Thomas Modly 15 July 2019 31 July 2019 Template:Age in days
76 File:Richard V. Spencer.jpg Richard V. Spencer 31 July 2019 24 November 2019 Template:Age in days
Acting File:Thomas B. Modly.jpg Thomas Modly 24 November 2019 7 April 2020 Template:Age in days
Acting File:James McPherson Acting Navy Secretary.jpg James E. McPherson 7 April 2020 29 May 2020 Template:Age in days
77 File:Kenneth J. Braithwaite II official photo.jpg Kenneth Braithwaite 29 May 2020[17] 20 January 2021 Template:Age in days
Acting File:Thomas W. Harker official photo.jpg Thomas Harker 20 January 2021 9 August 2021 Template:Age in days Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
78 File:Carlos Del Toro SECNAV portrait.jpg Carlos Del Toro 9 August 2021 20 January 2025 Template:Age in days
Acting File:Terence G. Emmert (2).jpg Terence Emmert 20 January 2025 25 March 2025 Template:Age in days Donald Trump
(2025–present)
79 File:Secretary of Navy John Phelan.png John Phelan 25 March 2025 22 April 2026 Template:Age in days
Acting File:Hung Cao.jpg Hung Cao 22 April 2026 Incumbent Template:Age in days

See also

References

  1. ↑ Finley, Ben (22 April 2026). "Pentagon says Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving, in latest departure of a top defense leader". Associated Press. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ "Responsibilities". The US Navy. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  5. ↑ "10 U.S. Code § 8013 – Secretary of the Navy". LII. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Honorable Donald C. Winter". U.S. Navy Biographies. 3 January 2006. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ "10 U.S. Code § 8014 – Office of the Secretary of the Navy". Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on 1 April 2003. Retrieved 4 December 2022.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ↑ "10 U.S. Code § 8017 - Secretary of the Navy: successors to duties". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ Joseph HewesArchived 10 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval Historical and Heritage Command.
  13. ↑ Benson J. Lossing. Household History for All Readers Archived 30 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. 1877. Republished in Our Country vol. 2
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 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.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "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.
  16. ↑ 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)
  17. ↑ "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.

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