| Post: | Vice Chief |
| Body: | Naval Operations |
| Insignia: | File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg |
| Insigniacaption: | Mark of the U.S. Navy |
| Flag: | Flag of the United States Vice Chief of Naval Operations.svg |
| Flagcaption: | Flag of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations |
| Incumbent: | Admiral James W. Kilby |
| Incumbentsince: | 5 January 2024 |
| Department: | United States Navy Office of the Chief of Naval Operations |
| Abbreviation: | VCNO |
| Reports To: | Chief of Naval Operations |
| Appointer: | The President |
| Appointer Qualified: | with Senate advice and consent |
| First: | Frederick J. Horne |
The vice chief of naval operations (VCNO) is the second highest-ranking commissioned United States Navy officer in the Department of the Navy and functions as the principal deputy of the chief of naval operations. By statute, the vice chief is appointed as a four-star admiral.[1]
The senior leadership of the U.S. Department of the Navy consists of two civilians, the secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) and the under secretary of the Navy (USECNAV), as well as the four senior commissioned officers on the two military service staffs: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) and Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC).
The vice chief is the principal deputy of the chief of Naval operations (CNO). The vice chief may also perform other delegated duties that either the secretary of the Navy or the CNO assigns to him or her. If the CNO is absent or is unable to perform their duties, then the vice chief assumes the duties and responsibilities of the CNO. Within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, while there are several Deputy Chiefs of Naval Operations (DCNOs) of either three or two star rank, there is only one VCNO.
The vice chief is appointed by the president of the United States, and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. While there is not a fixed term nor a term limit in the statute; the historical precedent is that a vice chief of naval operations serves for a tenure of two to three years.
The equivalent of the current VCNO 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.[2]
| No. | Image | Name | Tenure | Post(s) held after VCNO tenure | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Began | Ended | |||||
| 1 | VADM (ADM) Frederick J. Horne | 26 March 1942 | 2 September 1945 | |||
| 2 | 1945 | 1946 | ||||
| 3 | 15 January 1946 | 3 January 1948 | ||||
| 4 | January 1948 | May 1949 | ||||
| 5 | 1949 | 1950 | ||||
| 6 | 1950 | 1951 | ||||
| 7 | 1951 | 1956 | ||||
| 8 | 1956 | 1958 | ||||
| 9 | 21 July 1958 | September 1961 | ||||
| 10 | 25 September 1961 | 6 July 1964 | ||||
| 11 | July 1964 | January 1968 | ||||
| 12 | January 1968 | December 1970 | ||||
| 13 | 1970 | 1972 | ||||
| 14 | 1972 | 1973 | ||||
| 15 | September 1973 | 1974 | ||||
| 16 | June 1974 | July 1975 | ||||
| 17 | 1975 | 1977 | ||||
| 18 | July 1977 | April 1979 | ||||
| 19 | April 1979 | 1981 | ||||
| 20 | 1981 | 1983 | ||||
| 21 | 1983 | 1985 | ||||
| 22 | September 1985 | March 1987[3] | ||||
| 23 | March 1987 | 1988 | ||||
| 24 | August 1988 | May 1990 | ||||
| 25 | May 1990 | July 1992 | ||||
| 26 | 6 July 1992 | 1995 | ||||
| 27 | April 1995 | 1996 | ||||
| 28 | April 1996 | August 1996 | ||||
| 29 | September 1996 | September 1997 | ||||
| 30 | October 1997 | October 2000 | ||||
| 31 | October 2000 | August 2003 | ||||
| 32 | August 2003 | August 2004 | ||||
| 33 | August 2004 | February 2005 | ||||
| 34 | ADM Robert F. Willard | 18 March 2005 | 5 April 2007 | |||
| 35 | 5 April 2007 | 13 August 2009 | ||||
| 36 | ADM Jonathan W. Greenert | 13 August 2009 | 22 August 2011 | |||
| 37 | 22 August 2011 | 1 July 2014 | ||||
| 38 | ADM Michelle J. Howard | 1 July 2014 | 31 May 2016 | |||
| 39 | ADM William F. Moran | 31 May 2016 | 10 June 2019 | [4] | ||
| 40 | ADM Robert P. Burke | 10 June 2019 | 29 May 2020 | |||
| 41 | ADM William K. Lescher | 29 May 2020 | 2 September 2022 | |||
| 42 | ADM Lisa M. Franchetti | 2 September 2022 | 2 November 2023 | |||
| 43 | ADM James W. Kilby | 5 January 2024 | Incumbent | |||