The Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking officer in the United States Navy. In the event that the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) 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 that the CNO assigns to him. The VCNO is appointed by the President of the United States, and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. By statute, the VCNO is appointed as a four-star admiral.
This 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. The current VCNO is Admiral Mark E. Ferguson III. Previous VCNOs include:
| Vice Chief of Naval Operations | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VADM (ADM) Frederick J. Horne | 26 March 1942 - 2 September 1945 |
| 2 | ADM Richard S. Edwards Jr. | 1945–1946 |
| 3 | ADM DeWitt Clinton Ramsey | 15 January 1946 - 3 January 1948 |
| 4 | ADM Arthur W. Radford | January 1948 – May 1949 |
| 5 | ADM John D. Price | 1949–1950 |
| 6 | ADM Lynde D. McCormick | 1950–1951 |
| 7 | ADM Donald B. Duncan | 1951–1956 |
| 8 | ADM Harry D. Felt | 1956–1958 |
| 9 | ADM James S. Russell | 21 July 1958 - 1961 |
| 10 | ADM Claude V. Ricketts | 1961 - 6 July 1964 |
| 11 | ADM Horacio Rivero, Jr. | July 1964 - January 1968 |
| 12 | ADM Bernard A. Clarey | January 1968 - December 1970 |
| 13 | ADM Ralph W. Cousins | 1970–1972 |
| 14 | ADM Maurice F. Weisner | 1972–1973 |
| 15 | ADM James L. Holloway III | September 1973 - 1974 |
| 16 | ADM Worth H. Bagley | June 1974 - July 1975 |
| 17 | ADM Harold E. Shear | 1975–1977 |
| 18 | ADM Robert L. J. Long | July 1977 - April 1979 |
| 19 | ADM James D. Watkins | April 1979 - 1981 |
| 20 | ADM William N. Small | 1981–1983 |
| 21 | ADM Ronald J. Hays | 1983–1985 |
| 22 | ADM James B. Busey IV | September 1985 - 1987 |
| 23 | ADM Huntington Hardisty | 1987–1988 |
| 24 | ADM Leon A. Edney | August 1988 - May 1990 |
| 25 | ADM Jerome L. Johnson | May 1990 - July 1992 |
| 26 | ADM Stanley R. Arthur | 6 July 1992 - 1995 |
| 27 | ADM Joseph W. Prueher | April 1995 - 1996 |
| 28 | ADM Jay L. Johnson | April 1996 - August 1996 |
| 29 | ADM Harold W. Gehman, Jr. | September 1996 - September 1997 |
| 30 | ADM Donald L. Pilling | October 1997 - October 2000 |
| 31 | ADM William J. Fallon | October 2000 - August 2003 |
| 32 | ADM Michael Mullen | August 2003 - August 2004 |
| 33 | ADM John B. Nathman | August 2004 - February 2005 |
| 34 | ADM Robert F. Willard | 18 March 2005 - April 2007 |
| 35 | ADM Patrick M. Walsh | April 2007 – 13 August 2009 |
| 36 | ADM Jonathan W. Greenert | 13 August 2009 – 22 August 2011 |
| 37 | ADM Mark E. Ferguson III | 22 August 2011 – Present |
Famous quotes containing the words vice, chief, naval and/or operations:
“There is no vice so simple but assumes
Some mark of virtue on his outward parts.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Thus your fathers were made
Fellow citizens of the saints, of the household of GOD, being built upon the foundation
Of apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself the chief cornerstone.
But you, have you built well, that you now sit helpless in a ruined house?”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“It is now time to stop and to ask ourselves the question which my last commanding officer, Admiral Hyman Rickover, asked me and every other young naval officer who serves or has served in an atomic submarine. For our Nation M for all of us M that question is, “Why not the best?””
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)
“There is a patent office at the seat of government of the universe, whose managers are as much interested in the dispersion of seeds as anybody at Washington can be, and their operations are infinitely more extensive and regular.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)