United States Secretary of the Navy

The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer (10 U.S.C. § 5013) and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense.

Secretary of the Navy
Seal of the Department of the Navy
Flag of the Secretary of the Navy
Incumbent
Thomas W. Harker
(Acting)
since 20 January 2021
Department of the Navy
StyleMister Secretary
The Honorable (formally)
AbbreviationSECNAV
Reports toSecretary of Defense
Deputy Secretary of Defense
AppointerThe President,
with Senate advice and consent
Formation18 June 1798 (18 June 1798)
First holderBenjamin Stoddert
Succession3rd in SecDef succession
DeputyThe Under Secretary
(Principal Civilian Deputy)
Chief of Naval Operations
(Navy Advisor and Deputy)
The Commandant
(Marine Corps Advisor and Deputy)
SalaryExecutive Schedule, level II
Websitewww.secnav.navy.mil

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 January 20, 2021, Thomas Harker took over as Acting Secretary of the Navy.[2]

Responsibilities

The Department of the Navy (DoN) consists of two Uniformed Services: the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.[3] The secretary of the Navy is responsible for, and has statutory authority (10 U.S.C. § 5013) 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 before-mentioned 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.[4][5]

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.[6]

The Navy Secretariat

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 Department 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, public affairs, research, and development.[7]

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
  Denotes acting Secretaries

[8]

Continental Congress
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[9]
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[10]

(Post of Secretary of Marine created but remained vacant)

Executive Department, 1798–1949
No. Portrait Name State Term of office Served under
1 Benjamin Stoddert Maryland 18 June 1798 – 31 March 1801 John Adams/Thomas Jefferson
2 Robert Smith Maryland 27 July 1801 – 4 March 1809 Thomas Jefferson
3 Paul Hamilton South Carolina 15 May 1809 – 31 December 1812 James Madison
4 William Jones Pennsylvania 19 January 1813 – 1 December 1814
5 Benjamin W. Crowninshield Massachusetts 16 January 1815 – 30 September 1818
James Monroe
6 Smith Thompson New York 1 January 1819 – 31 August 1823
7 Samuel L. Southard New Jersey 16 September 1823 – 4 March 1829
John Quincy Adams
8 John Branch North Carolina 9 March 1829 – 12 May 1831 Andrew Jackson
9 Levi Woodbury New Hampshire 23 May 1831 – 30 June 1834
10 Mahlon Dickerson New Jersey 1 July 1834 – 30 June 1838
Martin Van Buren
11 James K. Paulding New York 1 July 1838 – 4 March 1841
12 George E. Badger North Carolina 6 March 1841 – 11 September 1841 William Henry Harrison
John Tyler
13 Abel P. Upshur Virginia 11 October 1841 – 23 July 1843
14 David Henshaw Massachusetts 24 July 1843 – 18 February 1844
15 Thomas W. Gilmer Virginia 19 February 1844 – 28 February 1844
16 John Y. Mason Virginia 26 March 1844 – 4 March 1845
17 George Bancroft Massachusetts 11 March 1845 – 9 September 1846 James K. Polk
18 John Y. Mason Virginia 10 September 1846 – 4 March 1849
19 William B. Preston Virginia 8 March 1849 – 22 July 1850 Zachary Taylor
20 William A. Graham North Carolina 2 August 1850 – 25 July 1852 Millard Fillmore
21 John P. Kennedy Maryland 26 July 1852 – 4 March 1853
22 James C. Dobbin North Carolina 8 March 1853 – 4 March 1857 Franklin Pierce
23 Isaac Toucey Connecticut 7 March 1857 – 4 March 1861 James Buchanan
24 Gideon Welles Connecticut 7 March 1861 – 4 March 1869 Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
25 Adolph E. Borie Pennsylvania 9 March 1869 – 25 June 1869 Ulysses S. Grant
26 George M. Robeson New Jersey 26 June 1869 – 4 March 1877
(acting) William Faxon 4 March 1877 – 13 March 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes
27 Richard W. Thompson Indiana 13 March 1877 – 20 December 1880
28 Nathan Goff, Jr. West Virginia 7 January 1881 – 4 March 1881
29 William H. Hunt Louisiana 7 March 1881 – 16 April 1882 James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur
30 William E. Chandler New Hampshire 16 April 1882 – 4 March 1885
31 William C. Whitney New York 7 March 1885 – 4 March 1889 Grover Cleveland
32 Benjamin F. Tracy New York 6 March 1889 – 4 March 1893 Benjamin Harrison
33 Hilary A. Herbert Alabama 7 March 1893 – 4 March 1897 Grover Cleveland
34 John D. Long Massachusetts 6 March 1897 – 30 April 1902 William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
35 William H. Moody Massachusetts 1 May 1902 – 30 June 1904
36 Paul Morton Illinois 1 July 1904 – 30 June 1905
37 Charles J. Bonaparte Maryland 1 July 1905 – 16 December 1906
38 Victor H. Metcalf California 17 December 1906 – 30 November 1908
39 Truman Handy Newberry Michigan 1 December 1908 – 4 March 1909
40 George von Lengerke Meyer Massachusetts 6 March 1909 – 4 March 1913 William Howard Taft
41 Josephus Daniels North Carolina 5 March 1913 – 4 March 1921 Woodrow Wilson
42 Edwin C. Denby Michigan 6 March 1921 – 10 March 1924 Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
(acting) Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. 10 March 1924 – 19 March 1924
43 Curtis D. Wilbur California 19 March 1924 – 4 March 1929
44 Charles F. Adams III Massachusetts 5 March 1929 – 4 March 1933 Herbert Hoover
45 Claude A. Swanson Virginia 4 March 1933 – 7 July 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt
46 Charles Edison New Jersey 7 July 1939 – 2 January 1940
2 January 1940 – 24 June 1940
(acting) Lewis Compton 24 June 1940 – 11 July 1940
47 Frank Knox Illinois 11 July 1940 – 28 April 1944
(acting) Ralph A. Bard 28 April 1944 – 19 May 1944
48 James V. Forrestal New York 19 May 1944 – 17 September 1947
Harry S. Truman
49 John L. Sullivan 18 September 1947 - 24 May 1949
50 Francis P. Matthews 25 May 1949 - 10 August 1949

Military Department (Department of Defense), 1949–present
No. Portrait Name Term of office Served under
Began Ended Days of service Secretary President
50 Francis P. Matthews 10 August 1949 31 July 1951 797 Louis A. Johnson
George C. Marshall		 Harry S. Truman
51 Dan A. Kimball 31 July 1951 20 January 1953 539 George C. Marshall
Robert A. Lovett
52 Robert B. Anderson 4 February 1953 3 March 1954 392 Charles E. Wilson Dwight D. Eisenhower
53 Charles S. Thomas 3 May 1954 1 April 1957 1064
54 Thomas S. Gates, Jr. 1 April 1957 8 June 1959 798 Charles E. Wilson
Neil H. McElroy
55 William B. Franke 8 June 1959 19 January 1961 591 Neil H. McElroy
Thomas S. Gates, Jr.
56 John B. Connally 25 January 1961 20 December 1961 329 Robert S. McNamara John F. Kennedy
57 Fred Korth 4 January 1962 1 November 1963 666
(acting) Paul B. Fay 2 November 1963 28 November 1963 26 John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
58 Paul H. Nitze 29 November 1963 30 June 1967 1309 Lyndon B. Johnson
(acting) Charles F. Baird 1 July 1967 31 August 1967 61
59 Paul R. Ignatius 1 September 1967 24 January 1969 511 Robert S. McNamara
Clark Clifford
Melvin R. Laird		 Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
60 John H. Chafee 31 January 1969 4 May 1972 1189 Melvin R. Laird Richard Nixon
61 John W. Warner 4 May 1972 8 April 1974 704 Melvin R. Laird
Elliot Richardson
James R. Schlesinger
62 J. William Middendorf 8 April 1974 20 January 1977 1018 James R. Schlesinger
Donald H. Rumsfeld		 Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
63 W. Graham Claytor, Jr. 14 February 1977 24 August 1979 921 Harold Brown Jimmy Carter
64 Edward Hidalgo 24 October 1979 20 January 1981 454
65 John Lehman 5 February 1981 10 April 1987 2255 Caspar W. Weinberger Ronald Reagan
66 Jim Webb 1 May 1987 23 February 1988 298 Caspar W. Weinberger
Frank C. Carlucci
67 William L. Ball 28 March 1988 15 May 1989 413 Frank C. Carlucci
Richard B. Cheney		 Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
68 Henry L. Garrett III 15 May 1989 26 June 1992 1138 Richard B. Cheney George H. W. Bush
(acting) Daniel Howard 26 June 1992 7 July 1992 11
69 Sean O'Keefe 7 July 1992 2 October 1992 87
2 October 1992 20 January 1993 110
(acting) Admiral Frank B. Kelso II 20 January 1993 21 July 1993 182 Les Aspin Bill Clinton
70 John H. Dalton 22 July 1993 16 November 1998 1943 Les Aspin
William J. Perry
William S. Cohen
71 Richard Danzig 16 November 1998 20 January 2001 796 William S. Cohen
(acting) Robert B. Pirie, Jr. 20 January 2001 24 May 2001 124 Donald H. Rumsfeld George W. Bush
72 Gordon R. England 24 May 2001 30 January 2003 616
(acting) Susan Livingstone 30 January 2003 7 February 2003 8
(acting) Hansford T. Johnson 7 February 2003 30 September 2003 235
73 Gordon R. England 1 October 2003 29 December 2005[11] 820
(acting) Dionel M. Aviles 29 December 2005[11] 3 January 2006[11] 5
74 Donald C. Winter 3 January 2006[11] 13 March 2009[12] 1165 Donald H. Rumsfeld
Robert M. Gates		 George W. Bush
Barack Obama
(acting) B. J. Penn 13 March 2009[12] 19 May 2009[13] 67 Robert M. Gates Barack Obama
75 Ray Mabus 19 May 2009[12] 20 January 2017 2803 Robert M. Gates
Leon Panetta
Chuck Hagel
Ash Carter
(acting) Sean Stackley 20 January 2017 3 August 2017 195 Jim Mattis Donald Trump
76 Richard V. Spencer 3 August 2017 15 July 2019 711 Jim Mattis
Patrick M. Shanahan (Acting)
Mark Esper (Acting)
(acting) Thomas Modly 15 July 2019 31 July 2019 16 Richard V. Spencer (Acting)
Mark Esper
76 Richard V. Spencer 31 July 2019 24 November 2019 116 Mark Esper
(acting) Thomas Modly 24 November 2019 7 April 2020 135
(acting) James E. McPherson 7 April 2020 29 May 2020 52
77 Kenneth Braithwaite 29 May 2020[14] 20 January 2021 236
(acting) Thomas Harker 20 January 2021 Incumbent 21 David Norquist (Acting)
Lloyd Austin		 Joe Biden

See also

References
  1. "Guide to Federal Records – General Records of the Department of the Navy, 1798–1947". Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  2. Quinn, Melissa; Segers, Grace (20 January 2021). "Who is leading federal agencies until Senate confirms Biden's nominees". CBS News. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  3. "The US Navy". Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  4. "US CODE: Title 10,5013. Secretary of the Navy". Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  5. "U.S. Navy Biographies – The Honorable Donald C. Winter". Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  6. "US CODE: Title 10,5013a. Secretary of the Navy: powers with respect to Coast Guard". Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  7. "US CODE: Title 10,5014. Office of the Secretary of the Navy". Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  8. "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.
  9. Joseph Hewes. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval Historical and Heritage Command.
  10. Benson J. Lossing. Household History for All Readers. 1877. Republished in Our Country vol. 2
  11. Staff reporter (29 December 2005). "Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Relinquishes Top Navy Post". American Forces Press Service. 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.
  12. "Navy Secretary Departs Office" (Press release). United States Department of Defense. 13 March 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.
  13. Staff reporter (19 May 2005). "Mabus Sworn in as New Navy Secretary". NNS. 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)
  14. "Kenneth Braithwaite Sworn in as Secretary of the Navy". USNI News. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
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