United States Secretary of the Navy
The secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer (10 U.S.C. § 8013) 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 | |
| Department of the Navy | |
| Style | Mister Secretary The Honorable (formally) |
| Abbreviation | SECNAV |
| Reports to | Secretary of Defense Deputy Secretary of Defense |
| Appointer | The President, with Senate advice and consent |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 8013 |
| Formation | 18 June 1798 |
| First holder | Benjamin Stoddert |
| Succession | 3rd in SecDef succession |
| Deputy | The Under Secretary (Principal Civilian Deputy) Chief of Naval Operations (Navy Advisor and Deputy) The Commandant (Marine Corps Advisor and Deputy) |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, level II |
| Website | www |
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.
On August 7, 2021, Carlos Del Toro was confirmed as secretary of the Navy.
From 2001 to 2019, proposals to rename the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps, which would have also renamed the secretary of the Navy to the secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps, were introduced with wide support in the United States Congress, but failed due to the opposition of Senator and former U.S. Navy officer John McCain.