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:
“No society has been able to abolish human sadness, no political system can deliver us from the pain of living, from our fear of death, our thirst for the absolute. It is the human condition that directs the social condition, not vice versa.”
—Eugène Ionesco (b. 1912)
“To be rich is to have a ticket of admission to the masterworks and chief men of each race. It is to have the sea, by voyaging; to visit the mountains, Niagara, the Nile, the desert, Rome, Paris, Constantinople: to see galleries, libraries, arsenals, manufactories.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“The world was a huge ball then, the universe a might harmony of ellipses, everything moved mysteriously, incalculable distances through the ether.
We used to feel the awe of the distant stars upon us. All that led to was the eighty-eight naval guns, ersatz, and the night air-raids over cities. A magnificent spectacle.
After the collapse of the socialist dream, I came to America.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)
“You can’t have operations without screams. Pain and the knife—they’re inseparable.”
—Jean Scott Rogers. Robert Day. Mr. Blount (Frank Pettingell)