United States Department of the Navy
Encyclopedia
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America (DON) was established by an Act of Congress
on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy
and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps
, and when directed by the President
, of the United States Coast Guard
as a service within the Navy. The Department of the Navy was an Executive Department and the Secretary of the Navy was a member of the President's cabinet
until 1949, when amendments to the National Security Act of 1947
changed the name of the National Military Establishment to the Department of Defense and made it an Executive Department. The Department of the Navy then became, along with the Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force
, a Military Department within the Department of Defense: subject to the authority, direction and control of the Secretary of Defense
.
, and the President. The Secretary of the Navy is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate
. The Secretary is assisted by an Under Secretary of the Navy
, four Assistant Secretaries of the Navy and a General Counsel of the Department of the Navy, who are also appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The highest ranking military officers in the Department of the Navy are the Chief of Naval Operations
and the Commandant of the Marine Corps
, who are the principal military advisors to the Secretary of the Navy. They supervise their respective military services of the Department of the Navy, and in a separate capacity serves as members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
. They are assisted by a Vice Chief of Naval Operations
and an Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
.
, also called the Naval Services, the United States Navy
and the United States Marine Corps
. The Department of the Navy consists of all elements of the United States Navy
and the United States Marine Corps
. The Term "Navy Department", according to Navy Regulations
Section 0204-2, refers only to the executive offices at the Seat of Government.
The Department of the Navy is composed of the following:
) for 2008, the Department of the Navy was to be renamed the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Bill passed in the on 17 May 2007.
The proposed renaming encountered opposition among members of the DOD civilian leadership and among senior Navy admirals and Marine Corps generals. In the U.S. Senate, the House Bill was replaced by SA2011, an amendment in the nature of a substitute, removing the renaming provision along with other changes. The amendment was sponsored by Senator Carl Levin
, Democrat of Michigan, introduced on 9 July 2007, and agreed to by unanimous consent
on 1 October 2007.
The House version including the provision was withdrawn in conference committee.
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, and when directed by the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, of the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
as a service within the Navy. The Department of the Navy was an Executive Department and the Secretary of the Navy was a member of the President's cabinet
United States Cabinet
The Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
until 1949, when amendments to the National Security Act of 1947
National Security Act of 1947
The National Security Act of 1947 was signed by United States President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1947, and realigned and reorganized the U.S. Armed Forces, foreign policy, and Intelligence Community apparatus in the aftermath of World War II...
changed the name of the National Military Establishment to the Department of Defense and made it an Executive Department. The Department of the Navy then became, along with the Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force
Department of the Air Force
The Department of the Air Force is one of the three Military Departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America...
, a Military Department within the Department of Defense: subject to the authority, direction and control of the Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
.
Leadership
The Department of the Navy is headed by the Secretary of the Navy, also known as the SECNAV in naval jargon, who has the authority to conduct all of the affairs of the Department: subject to lawful authority, the Secretary of DefenseUnited States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
, and the President. The Secretary of the Navy is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. The Secretary is assisted by an Under Secretary of the Navy
Under Secretary of the Navy
The Under Secretary of the Navy is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the United States Department of the Navy. The Under Secretary, called the "Under" in Pentagon slang, reports to the Secretary of the Navy ....
, four Assistant Secretaries of the Navy and a General Counsel of the Department of the Navy, who are also appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The highest ranking military officers in the Department of the Navy are the Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
and the Commandant of the Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
, who are the principal military advisors to the Secretary of the Navy. They supervise their respective military services of the Department of the Navy, and in a separate capacity serves as members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
. They are assisted by a Vice Chief of Naval Operations
Vice Chief of Naval Operations
The Vice Chief of Naval Operations is the second highest ranking officer in the United States Navy. In the event that the Chief of Naval Operations is absent or is unable to perform his duties, the VCNO assumes the duties and responsibilities of the CNO. The VCNO may also perform other duties...
and an Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps is the second highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps, and serves as a deputy for the Commandant of the Marine Corps...
.
Composition
Unlike its Army and Air Force counterparts, the Department of the Navy comprises two uniformed servicesUniformed Services
Uniformed services are bodies of people in the employ of a state that are not employed on standard terms of contract, but have some element of additional discipline, and wear a uniform.Typically the uniformed services of a state include:...
, also called the Naval Services, the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. The Department of the Navy consists of all elements of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. The Term "Navy Department", according to Navy Regulations
United States Navy Regulations
United States Navy Regulations is the principal regulatory document of the Department of the Navy, endowed with the sanction of law, as to duty, responsibility, authority, distinctions and relationships of various commands, officials and individuals...
Section 0204-2, refers only to the executive offices at the Seat of Government.
The Department of the Navy is composed of the following:
- Office of the Secretary of the Navy, also known as the Secretariat.
- Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
- Headquarters Marine CorpsHeadquarters Marine CorpsHeadquarters Marine Corps is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions...
. - The entire operating forces, including naval aviation, of the Navy and of the Marine Corps, and the reserve components of those operating forces.
- All field activities, headquarters, forces, bases, installations, activities, and functions under the control or supervision of the Secretary of the Navy.
- The Coast Guard when it is operating as a service in the Navy.
2007 - Unsuccessful attempt to rename as the "Department of the Navy and Marine Corps"
In H.R. 1585, the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill (NDAANational Defense Authorization Act
The National Defense Authorization Act is the name of a United States federal law that has been enacted for each of the past 48 fiscal years to specify the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense.-See also:...
) for 2008, the Department of the Navy was to be renamed the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Bill passed in the on 17 May 2007.
The proposed renaming encountered opposition among members of the DOD civilian leadership and among senior Navy admirals and Marine Corps generals. In the U.S. Senate, the House Bill was replaced by SA2011, an amendment in the nature of a substitute, removing the renaming provision along with other changes. The amendment was sponsored by Senator Carl Levin
Carl Levin
Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, Democrat of Michigan, introduced on 9 July 2007, and agreed to by unanimous consent
Unanimous consent
In parliamentary procedure, unanimous consent, also known as general consent, or in the case of the parliaments under the Westminster system, leave of the house, is a situation in which no one present objects to a proposal. The chair may state, for instance: "If there is no objection, the motion...
on 1 October 2007.
The House version including the provision was withdrawn in conference committee.
External links
- Department of the Navy website
- US Marine Corps official website
- US Navy official website
- Department of Defense website
- History of the Department of the Navy Seal used on US Naval Dinnerware from late 1800s through the 1970s
- Proposed and finalized federal regulations from the United States Department of the Navy