The Commander, Naval Air Forces, Pacific Fleet is a three-star US Navy command based at Naval Air Station North Island, California. COMNAVAIRPAC is the aviation Type Commander (TYCOM) for all United States Navy naval aviation units assigned to the Pacific Fleet. NAVAIRPAC is responsible for the materiel readiness, administration, training, and inspection of units/squadrons under its command, and for providing operationally ready air squadrons and aircraft carriers to the fleet. Since 2001, COMNAVAIRPAC has been dual-hatted with COMNAVAIRFOR, Commander, Naval Air Forces, creating a lead-follow arrangement with his East Coast counterpart COMNAVAIRLANT.
In October 1919, Air Detachment, Pacific Fleet came into existence, making naval aviation formally part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.[1] The original organization was divided into Landplane, Shipplane and Seaplane divisions. Within a brief period, the three divisions evolved into Fighting, Spotting and Seaplane Patrol Squadrons, respectively. The purpose of air detachments was: "attack on enemy aircraft, spotting gunfire for surface craft torpedo attack by torpedo planes, demolition, toxic gas and incendiary bomb attack, smoke and gas screen laying, mine and countermining; flare dropping; scouting reconnaissance, patrol and convoy duty; photography, mapping, detection of enemy coastal defenses and mail passenger service."
In June 1922 as part of a reorganization combining the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets into the U.S. Fleet, the detachment was renamed Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet. In 1933, another reorganization established two principal commands: Commander Aircraft Battle Force and Commander Tender-based Aircraft.
Commander, Air Pacific was established during World War II as the requirements of supporting air combat units widely deployed in the Pacific Ocean area increased.
Finding much inefficiency in the various administrative commands within naval aviation, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet directed a consolidation of various administrative functions for a more efficient command structure. This new command became Air Pacific Fleet, "to function as a Type Commander for fleet aircraft, to prepare general policy and doctrine for the operation of aviation units, to recommend the types, characteristics and numbers of aircraft required, and to carry out the strategic distribution of all air units in the Pacific area."
On July 29, 1942, Admiral Ernest King approved the recommendation and thus established Commander U.S. Naval Air Force, Pacific Fleet (COMNAVAIRPAC), effective September 1, 1942. Vice Admiral John Henry Towers became its commander soon afterwards.
In May 1949, the headquarters was moved from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to Naval Air Station, North Island, California.
| Name | Dates of Command | |
|---|---|---|
| RADM Aubrey W. Fitch | 15 September 1942 | |
| RADM Leigh Noyes | 15 September-14 October 1942 | |
| VADM John H. Towers | 14 October 1942 – 28 February 1944 | |
| RADM Charles A. Pownall | 28 February-17 August 1944 | |
| RADM George D. Murray | 17 August 1944 – 20 July 1945 | |
| RADM Alfred E. Montgomery | 20 July 1945 – 31 August 1946 | |
| VADM John D. Price | 31 August 1946 – 5 January 1949 | |
| VADM Harold B. Sallada | January 1948-October 1949 | |
| VADM Thomas L. Sprague | October 1949-April 1952 | |
| VADM Harold M. Martin | April 1952-February 1956 | |
| VADM Alfred Pride | February 1956-October 1959 | |
| VADM Clarence E. Ekstrom | October 1959-November 1962 | |
| VADM Paul D. Stroop | November 1962-October 1965 | |
| VADM Thomas F. Connolly | October 1965-November 1966 | |
| VADM Allen M. Shinn | November 1966-March 1970 | |
| VADM William F. Bringle | March 1970-May 1971 | |
| VADM Thomas J. Walker | May 1971-May 1973 | |
| VADM Robert B. Baldwin | May 1973-July 1976 | |
| VADM Robert P. Coogan | July 1976-February 1980 | |
| VADM Robert F. Schoultz | February 1980-August 1982 | |
| VADM Crawford A. Easterling | August 1982-August 1985 | |
| VADM James E. Service | August 1985-August 1987 | |
| VADM John H. Fetterman Jr. | August 1987-December 1990 | |
| VADM Edwin R. Kohn Jr. | December 1990-October 1993 | |
| VADM Robert J. Spane | October 1993-January 1996 | |
| VADM Brent M. Bennitt | January 1996-January 1998 | |
| VADM Michael L. Bowman | January 1998-August 2000 | |
| VADM John B. Nathman | August 2000-August 2002 | |
| VADM Michael D. Malone | 2 August 2002 – 17 August 2004 | |
| VADM James M. Zortman | 17 August 2004 – 22 June 2007 | |
| VADM Thomas J. Kilkline Jr. | 22 June 2007 – 1 July 2010 | |
| VADM Allen G. Myers, IV | 1 July 2010 – 4 October 2012 | |
| VADM David H. Buss | 4 October 2012 – 22 January 2015 | |
| VADM Mike Shoemaker | 22 January 2015 – 11 January 2018 | |
| VADM DeWolfe H. Miller, III | 11 January 2018 – 2 October 2020 | |
| VADM Kenneth R. Whitesell | 2 October 2020 – 7 September 2023 | |
| RADM George M. Wikoff (Acting) | 7 September 2023-January 2024 | |
| RADM Douglas Verissimo (Acting) | to 31 January 2024 | |
| VADM Daniel Cheever | 31 January 2024- |