Four-star positions 1866–1941 The rank of admiral was created in 1866 to honor the Civil War achievements of
David Farragut. Upon his death, another Civil War hero,
David D. Porter Jr., succeeded to the title. In 1873, Congress stated that further vacancies in the grade would not be filled, and the rank lapsed with Porter's death in 1890. Congress revived the rank in 1899 to honor
George Dewey, stipulating that the grade would again cease to exist upon his death or retirement. In 1903, Dewey was promoted to the unique rank of
Admiral of the Navy, which during his lifetime was considered to be equivalent to an
admiral of the fleet, but was later declared to be senior to the five-star grade of
fleet admiral. The Act of 3 March 1915, provided that the commanders in chief of the
Atlantic,
Pacific, and
Asiatic Fleets would have the rank of admiral while so serving, and their seconds in command the rank of vice admiral. In 1916, the
Chief of Naval Operations was also made an admiral while so serving, ranking next after the
Admiral of the Navy. The ranks of admiral and vice admiral were strictly temporary appointments for the duration of an officer's tour in designated billets, and the temporary admiral reverted to his permanent grade of rear admiral immediately upon vacating the office bearing the title. In 1917, Congress accommodated the Navy's desire to reorganize the fleet by authorizing the President to appoint three admirals and three vice admirals for any six fleet command positions. All fleet command tours lasted one year except for the commander in chief of the
U.S. Fleet, whose term was sometimes renewed for a second year, and the commander in chief of the
Asiatic Fleet, whose command was considered a backwater. (The
Chief of Naval Operations was appointed for four years.) Officers would typically "fleet up" to admiral or vice admiral for their year of fleet command and then revert to rear admiral to mark time until mandatory retirement. ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:10 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:50 right:130 left:20 AlignBars = late Define $start = 1860 Define $end = 1950 DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:$start till:$end TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:$start Colors = id:cno value:rgb(1,0,0) legend: CNO id:cincus value:rgb(0,0.7,0.7) legend: CINCUS id:battle value:rgb(0,1,0) legend: COMBATFOR id:atlantic value:rgb(0,0.7,0.7) legend: Atlantic_Fleet id:pacific value:rgb(0,1,0) legend: Pacific_Fleet id:asiatic value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0) legend: Asiatic_Fleet id:europe value:rgb(0,0,1) id:navy value:rgb(0,0,1) legend: Other_Navy id:jcs value:rgb(0,0,0) legend: JCS id:time value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:category value:rgb(0.9,0.9,1) id:period value:rgb(0.5,0.5,1) id:none value:rgb(1,1,1) Legend = orientation:vertical position:right LineData = layer:back width:0.1 color:time at:1870 at:1880 at:1890 at:1900 at:1910 at:1920 at:1930 at:1940 at:1941 BarData = barset:PM bar:period_0 bar:period_1 bar:end_period bar:start_officers bar:officers bar:farragut bar:porter bar:dewey bar:fletcher bar:howard bar:cowles bar:winterhalter bar:winslow bar:caperton bar:benson bar:mayo bar:knight bar:sims bar:wilson bar:rodman bar:gleaves bar:coontz bar:strauss bar:jones bar:eberle bar:anderson bar:washington bar:robison bar:williams bar:hughes bar:jackson bar:wiley bar:bristol bar:desteiguer bar:pratt bar:nulton bar:mcvay bar:chase bar:schofield bar:taylor bar:leigh bar:mcnamee bar:standley bar:sellers bar:reeves bar:upham bar:brumby bar:laning bar:murfin bar:leahy bar:hepburn bar:yarnell bar:bloch bar:kalbfus bar:hart bar:richardson bar:stark bar:snyder bar:end_officers PlotData= width:6 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till barset:PM bar:period_0 from:1860 till:1860 color:none text:"
Civil War" bar:period_1 from:1861 till:1865 color:period bar:period_0 from:1897 till:1897 color:none text:"
Spanish–American War" bar:period_1 from:1898 till:1899 color:period bar:period_0 from:1916 till:1916 color:none text:"
World War I" bar:period_1 from:1917 till:1920 color:period bar:period_0 from:1940 till:1940 color:none text:"
World War II" bar:period_1 from:1941 till:1945 color:period bar:start_officers from:$start till:$end color:category bar:farragut from: 1866 till: 1870 color:navy text:"
David Farragut" bar:porter from: 1870 till: 1891 color:navy text:"
David D. Porter" bar:dewey from: 1899 till: 1917 color:navy text:"
George Dewey" bar:fletcher from: 1915 till: 1916 color:atlantic text:"
Frank F. Fletcher" bar:howard from: 1915 till: 1915 color:pacific text:"
Thomas B. Howard" bar:cowles from: 1915 till: 1915 color:asiatic text:"
Walter C. Cowles" bar:winterhalter from: 1915 till: 1917 color:asiatic text:"
Albert G. Winterhalter" bar:winslow from: 1915 till: 1916 color:pacific text:"
Cameron M. Winslow" bar:caperton from: 1916 till: 1919 color:pacific text:"
William B. Caperton" bar:benson from: 1916 till: 1919 color:cno text:"
William S. Benson" bar:mayo from: 1916 till: 1919 color:atlantic bar:mayo from: 1919 till: 1919 color:cincus text:"
Henry T. Mayo" bar:knight from: 1917 till: 1918 color:asiatic text:"
Austin M. Knight" bar:sims from: 1918 till: 1919 color:europe text:"
William S. Sims" bar:wilson from: 1919 till: 1921 color:atlantic text:"
Henry B. Wilson Jr." bar:rodman from: 1919 till: 1921 color:pacific text:"
Hugh Rodman" bar:gleaves from: 1919 till: 1921 color:asiatic text:"
Albert Gleaves" bar:coontz from: 1919 till: 1923 color:cno bar:coontz from: 1923 till: 1925 color:cincus text:"
Robert E. Coontz" bar:strauss from: 1921 till: 1922 color:asiatic text:"
Joseph Strauss" bar:jones from: 1921 till: 1922 color:atlantic bar:jones from: 1922 till: 1923 color:cincus text:"
Hilary P. Jones" bar:eberle from: 1921 till: 1921 color:pacific bar:eberle from: 1921 till: 1923 color:battle bar:eberle from: 1923 till: 1927 color:cno text:"
Edward W. Eberle" bar:anderson from: 1922 till: 1923 color:asiatic text:"
Edwin A. Anderson" bar:washington from: 1923 till: 1925 color:asiatic text:"
Thomas Washington" bar:robison from: 1923 till: 1925 color:battle bar:robison from: 1925 till: 1926 color:cincus text:"
Samuel S. Robison" bar:williams from: 1925 till: 1927 color:asiatic text:"
Clarence S. Williams" bar:hughes from: 1925 till: 1926 color:battle bar:hughes from: 1926 till: 1927 color:cincus bar:hughes from: 1927 till: 1930 color:cno text:"
Charles F. Hughes" bar:jackson from: 1926 till: 1927 color:battle text:"
Richard H. Jackson" bar:wiley from: 1927 till: 1929 color:cincus text:"
Henry A. Wiley" bar:bristol from: 1927 till: 1929 color:asiatic text:"
Mark L. Bristol" bar:desteiguer from: 1927 till: 1928 color:battle text:"
Louis R. de Steiguer" bar:pratt from: 1928 till: 1929 color:battle bar:pratt from: 1929 till: 1930 color:cincus bar:pratt from: 1930 till: 1933 color:cno text:"
William V. Pratt" bar:nulton from: 1929 till: 1930 color:battle text:"
Louis M. Nulton" bar:mcvay from: 1929 till: 1931 color:asiatic text:"
Charles B. McVay Jr." bar:chase from: 1930 till: 1931 color:cincus text:"
Jehu V. Chase" bar:schofield from: 1930 till: 1931 color:battle bar:schofield from: 1931 till: 1932 color:cincus text:"
Frank H. Schofield" bar:taylor from: 1931 till: 1933 color:asiatic text:"
Montgomery M. Taylor" bar:leigh from: 1931 till: 1932 color:battle bar:leigh from: 1932 till: 1933 color:cincus text:"
Richard H. Leigh" bar:mcnamee from: 1932 till: 1933 color:battle text:"
Luke McNamee" bar:standley from: 1933 till: 1933 color:battle bar:standley from: 1933 till: 1937 color:cno text:"
William H. Standley" bar:sellers from: 1933 till: 1934 color:cincus text:"
David F. Sellers" bar:reeves from: 1933 till: 1934 color:battle bar:reeves from: 1934 till: 1936 color:cincus text:"
Joseph M. Reeves" bar:upham from: 1933 till: 1935 color:asiatic text:"
Frank B. Upham" bar:brumby from: 1934 till: 1935 color:battle text:"
Frank H. Brumby" bar:laning from: 1935 till: 1936 color:battle text:"
Harris Laning" bar:murfin from: 1935 till: 1936 color:asiatic text:"
Orin G. Murfin" bar:leahy from: 1936 till: 1937 color:battle bar:leahy from: 1937 till: 1939 color:cno bar:leahy from: 1942 till: 1949 color:jcs text:"
William D. Leahy" bar:hepburn from: 1936 till: 1938 color:cincus text:"
Arthur J. Hepburn" bar:yarnell from: 1936 till: 1939 color:asiatic text:"
Harry E. Yarnell" bar:bloch from: 1937 till: 1938 color:battle bar:bloch from: 1938 till: 1940 color:cincus text:"
Claude C. Bloch" bar:kalbfus from: 1938 till: 1939 color:battle text:"
Edward C. Kalbfus" bar:hart from: 1939 till: 1942 color:asiatic text:"
Thomas C. Hart" bar:richardson from: 1939 till: 1940 color:battle bar:richardson from: 1940 till: 1941 color:cincus text:"
James O. Richardson" bar:stark from: 1939 till: 1942 color:cno bar:stark from: 1942 till: 1945 color:navy text:"
Harold R. Stark" bar:snyder from: 1940 till: 1941 color:battle text:"
Charles P. Snyder"
1941–1991 During
World War II, the President was authorized to create as many admirals and vice admirals as he deemed necessary for the duration of the emergency. Most of these new creations retired at the end of the war, having been promoted to reward service in the fleet or headquarters, or to achieve parity with wartime counterparts. Although three- and four-star ranks remained temporary appointments, the practice of reverting to a lower grade pending retirement largely halted after 1942, when Congress authorized officers to be retired in the highest grade in which they served on active duty. The rank of
fleet admiral was created in 1944, and the four officers promoted to that grade were allowed to remain on active duty permanently. By 1956, the Navy had equilibrated at a total of seven permanent billets bearing four-star rank: the
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO); the
Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO), the commanders in chief of the unified commands in the
Pacific (CINCPAC) and
Atlantic (CINCLANT); the commander in chief of the
U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT); the commander in chief of
U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (CINCNELM) (retitled commander in chief of
U.S. Naval Forces Europe (CINCUSNAVEUR) in 1960); and the commander in chief of
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in
Southern Europe (CINCSOUTH). In 1965, an eighth billet was added when the
chief of naval material (CNM) was promoted to admiral. Occasionally this count would fluctuate when a Navy officer was selected as the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), as the chairman's four-star representative to the
NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), or as the
director or
deputy director of central intelligence; or by special legislation. When the long-serving director of the naval nuclear reactor program,
Hyman G. Rickover, was finally compelled to retire in 1982, his successor was promoted to admiral and appointed
director of naval nuclear propulsion, institutionalizing the position as a permanent four-star billet. To compensate, another four-star billet was eliminated by merging
Allied Forces Southern Europe with
U.S. Naval Forces Europe. Similarly, when the
U.S. Atlantic Fleet commander (CINCLANTFLT) was separated from the
Atlantic unified commander in 1985, the number of four-star billets was conserved by eliminating the
chief of naval material position. The U.S. Atlantic Fleet was replaced by
U.S. Fleet Forces Command (COMUSFF) in 2006. ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:10 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:50 right:130 left:20 AlignBars = late Define $start = 1940 Define $end = 2000 DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:$start till:$end TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:$start Colors = id:jcs value:rgb(0,0,0) legend: CJCS/VJCS id:cno value:rgb(1,0,0) legend: CNO id:vcno value:rgb(0.7,0.7,0.7) legend: VCNO id:atlantic value:rgb(0,0.7,0.7) legend: Atlantic_Fleet id:pacific value:rgb(0,1,0) legend: Pacific_Fleet id:asiatic value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0) legend: Asiatic_Fleet id:nuclear value:rgb(0,1,1) legend: Nuclear_propulsion id:navy value:rgb(0,0,1) legend: Other_Navy id:joint value:rgb(0.7,0,1) legend: Joint_(military) id:federal value:rgb(1,0,1) legend: Joint_(other) id:general value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:time value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:category value:rgb(0.9,0.9,1) id:period value:rgb(0.5,0.5,1) id:none value:rgb(1,1,1) Legend = orientation:vertical position:right LineData = layer:back width:0.1 color:time at:1941 at:1950 at:1960 at:1970 at:1980 at:1990 at:1991 BarData = barset:PM bar:period_0 bar:period_1 bar:period_2 bar:end_period bar:start_officers bar:officers bar:leahy bar:hart bar:stark bar:kimmel bar:king bar:nimitz bar:ingersoll bar:halsey bar:spruance bar:ingram bar:horne bar:edwards bar:hewitt bar:kinkaid bar:richmondturner bar:robinson bar:towers bar:ramsey bar:cooke bar:moreell bar:mitscher bar:conolly bar:blandy bar:denfeld bar:radford bar:sherman bar:fechteler bar:carney bar:mccormick bar:donaldduncan bar:stump bar:wright bar:cassady bar:arleighburke bar:briscoe bar:boone bar:felt bar:curts bar:hollowayjr bar:hopwood bar:russell bar:brown bar:dennison bar:haroldpagesmith bar:sides bar:anderson bar:ricketts bar:davidmcdonald bar:griffin bar:sharp bar:moorer bar:rivero bar:thach bar:ward bar:royjohnson bar:mccain bar:galantin bar:holmes bar:hyland bar:clarey bar:wendt bar:zumwalt bar:charlesduncan bar:arnold bar:cousins bar:bringle bar:kidd bar:colbert bar:gayler bar:weisner bar:hollowayiii bar:worthbagley bar:rickover bar:johnston bar:shear bar:weinel bar:michaelis bar:davidbagley bar:stansfieldturner bar:murphy bar:hayward bar:long bar:davis bar:whittle bar:train bar:watkins bar:crowe bar:inman bar:small bar:williams bar:kinnear bar:mckee bar:foley bar:wesleymcdonald bar:hays bar:white bar:baggett bar:lyons bar:trost bar:busey bar:moreau bar:kelso bar:hardisty bar:carter bar:jeremiah bar:edney bar:demars bar:hogg bar:howe bar:larson bar:jeromejohnson bar:end_officers PlotData= width:6 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till barset:PM bar:period_0 from:1941 till:1945 color:period text:"
World War II" bar:period_1 from:1947 till:1991 color:period text:"
Cold War" bar:period_2 from:1950 till:1953 color:period text:"
Korean War" bar:period_2 from:1961 till:1975 color:period text:"
Vietnam War" bar:period_2 from:1990 till:1991 color:period text:"
Gulf War" bar:start_officers from:$start till:1991 color:category bar:leahy from: 1942 till: 1949 color:jcs text:"
William D. Leahy" bar:hart from: 1940 till: 1942 color:asiatic text:"
Thomas C. Hart" bar:stark from: 1940 till: 1942 color:cno bar:stark from: 1942 till: 1945 color:navy text:"
Harold R. Stark" bar:kimmel from: 1941 till: 1942 color:pacific text:"
Husband E. Kimmel" bar:king from: 1941 till: 1942 color:atlantic bar:king from: 1942 till: 1946 color:cno text:"
Ernest J. King" bar:nimitz from: 1942 till: 1946 color:pacific bar:nimitz from: 1946 till: 1948 color:cno text:"
Chester W. Nimitz" bar:ingersoll from: 1942 till: 1944 color:atlantic bar:ingersoll from: 1944 till: 1945 color:navy text:"
Royal E. Ingersoll" bar:halsey from: 1942 till: 1945 color:navy text:"
William F. Halsey Jr." bar:spruance from: 1944 till: 1945 color:navy bar:spruance from: 1945 till: 1946 color:pacific bar:spruance from: 1946 till: 1948 color:navy text:"
Raymond A. Spruance" bar:ingram from: 1944 till: 1946 color:atlantic text:"
Jonas H. Ingram" bar:horne from: 1944 till: 1945 color:vcno text:"
Frederick J. Horne" bar:edwards from: 1945 till: 1946 color:vcno bar:edwards from: 1946 till: 1947 color:navy text:"
Richard S. Edwards Jr." bar:hewitt from: 1945 till: 1949 color:navy text:"
H. Kent Hewitt" bar:kinkaid from: 1945 till: 1950 color:navy text:"
Thomas C. Kinkaid" bar:richmondturner from: 1945 till: 1947 color:navy text:"
Richmond K. Turner" bar:robinson from: 1945 till: 1946 color:navy text:"
Samuel M. Robinson" bar:towers from: 1945 till: 1946 color:navy bar:towers from: 1946 till: 1947 color:pacific text:"
John H. Towers" bar:ramsey from: 1946 till: 1948 color:vcno bar:ramsey from: 1948 till: 1949 color:pacific text:"
DeWitt C. Ramsey" bar:cooke from: 1946 till: 1948 color:asiatic text:"
Charles M. Cooke Jr." bar:moreell from: 1946 till: 1946 color:navy text:"
Ben Moreell" bar:mitscher from: 1946 till: 1947 color:atlantic text:"
Marc A. Mitscher" bar:conolly from: 1946 till: 1950 color:navy text:"
Richard L. Conolly" bar:blandy from: 1947 till: 1950 color:atlantic text:"
William H.P. Blandy" bar:denfeld from: 1947 till: 1948 color:pacific bar:denfeld from: 1948 till: 1949 color:cno text:"
Louis E. Denfeld" bar:radford from: 1949 till: 1953 color:pacific bar:radford from: 1953 till: 1957 color:jcs text:"
Arthur W. Radford" bar:sherman from: 1949 till: 1951 color:cno text:"
Forrest P. Sherman" bar:fechteler from: 1950 till: 1951 color:atlantic bar:fechteler from: 1951 till: 1953 color:cno bar:fechteler from: 1953 till: 1956 color:joint text:"
William M. Fechteler" bar:carney from: 1950 till: 1952 color:navy bar:carney from: 1952 till: 1953 color:joint bar:carney from: 1953 till: 1955 color:cno text:"
Robert B. Carney" bar:mccormick from: 1950 till: 1951 color:vcno bar:mccormick from: 1951 till: 1954 color:atlantic text:"
Lynde D. McCormick" bar:donaldduncan from: 1951 till: 1956 color:vcno text:"
Donald B. Duncan" bar:stump from: 1953 till: 1958 color:pacific text:"
Felix B. Stump" bar:wright from: 1954 till: 1960 color:atlantic text:"
Jerauld Wright" bar:cassady from: 1954 till: 1956 color:navy text:"
John H. Cassady" bar:arleighburke from: 1955 till: 1961 color:cno text:"
Arleigh A. Burke" bar:briscoe from: 1956 till: 1959 color:joint text:"
Robert P. Briscoe" bar:boone from: 1956 till: 1958 color:navy bar:boone from: 1958 till: 1960 color:joint text:"
Walter F. Boone" bar:felt from: 1956 till: 1958 color:vcno bar:felt from: 1958 till: 1964 color:joint text:"
Harry D. Felt" bar:curts from: 1957 till: 1958 color:pacific text:"
Maurice E. Curts" bar:hollowayjr from: 1958 till: 1959 color:navy text:"
James L. Holloway Jr." bar:hopwood from: 1958 till: 1960 color:pacific text:"
Herbert G. Hopwood" bar:russell from: 1958 till: 1961 color:vcno bar:russell from: 1961 till: 1965 color:joint text:"
James S. Russell" bar:brown from: 1959 till: 1961 color:joint text:"
Charles R. Brown" bar:dennison from: 1959 till: 1960 color:navy bar:dennison from: 1960 till: 1963 color:atlantic text:"
Robert L. Dennison" bar:haroldpagesmith from: 1960 till: 1963 color:navy bar:haroldpagesmith from: 1963 till: 1965 color:atlantic text:"
Harold Page Smith" bar:sides from: 1960 till: 1963 color:pacific text:"
John H. Sides" bar:anderson from: 1961 till: 1963 color:cno text:"
George W. Anderson Jr." bar:ricketts from: 1961 till: 1964 color:vcno text:"
Claude V. Ricketts" bar:davidmcdonald from: 1963 till: 1963 color:navy bar:davidmcdonald from: 1963 till: 1967 color:cno text:"
David L. McDonald" bar:griffin from: 1963 till: 1965 color:navy bar:griffin from: 1965 till: 1968 color:joint text:"
Charles D. Griffin" bar:sharp from: 1963 till: 1964 color:pacific bar:sharp from: 1964 till: 1968 color:joint text:"
U.S. Grant Sharp Jr." bar:moorer from: 1964 till: 1965 color:pacific bar:moorer from: 1965 till: 1967 color:atlantic bar:moorer from: 1967 till: 1970 color:cno bar:moorer from: 1970 till: 1974 color:jcs text:"
Thomas H. Moorer" bar:rivero from: 1964 till: 1968 color:vcno bar:rivero from: 1968 till: 1972 color:joint text:"
Horacio Rivero Jr." bar:thach from: 1965 till: 1967 color:navy text:"
John S. Thach" bar:ward from: 1965 till: 1968 color:joint text:"
Alfred G. Ward" bar:royjohnson from: 1965 till: 1967 color:pacific text:"
Roy L. Johnson" bar:mccain from: 1967 till: 1968 color:navy bar:mccain from: 1968 till: 1972 color:joint text:"
John S. McCain Jr." bar:galantin from: 1967 till: 1970 color:navy text:"
Ignatius J. Galantin" bar:holmes from: 1967 till: 1970 color:atlantic text:"
Ephraim P. Holmes" bar:hyland from: 1967 till: 1970 color:pacific text:"
John J. Hyland Jr." bar:clarey from: 1968 till: 1970 color:vcno bar:clarey from: 1970 till: 1973 color:pacific text:"
Bernard A. Clarey" bar:wendt from: 1968 till: 1971 color:navy text:"
Waldemar F. A. Wendt" bar:zumwalt from: 1970 till: 1974 color:cno text:"
Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr." bar:charlesduncan from: 1970 till: 1972 color:atlantic text:"
Charles K. Duncan" bar:arnold from: 1970 till: 1971 color:navy text:"
Jackson D. Arnold" bar:cousins from: 1970 till: 1972 color:vcno bar:cousins from: 1972 till: 1975 color:atlantic text:"
Ralph W. Cousins" bar:bringle from: 1971 till: 1973 color:navy text:"
William F. Bringle" bar:kidd from: 1971 till: 1975 color:navy bar:kidd from: 1975 till: 1978 color:atlantic text:"
Isaac C. Kidd Jr." bar:colbert from: 1972 till: 1973 color:joint text:"
Richard G. Colbert" bar:gayler from: 1972 till: 1976 color:joint text:"
Noel A.M. Gayler" bar:weisner from: 1972 till: 1973 color:vcno bar:weisner from: 1973 till: 1976 color:pacific bar:weisner from: 1976 till: 1979 color:joint text:"
Maurice F. Weisner" bar:hollowayiii from: 1973 till: 1974 color:vcno bar:hollowayiii from: 1974 till: 1978 color:cno text:"
James L. Holloway III" bar:worthbagley from: 1973 till: 1974 color:navy bar:worthbagley from: 1974 till: 1975 color:vcno text:"
Worth H. Bagley" bar:rickover from: 1973 till: 1982 color:nuclear text:"
Hyman G. Rickover" bar:johnston from: 1973 till: 1975 color:joint text:"
Means Johnston Jr." bar:shear from: 1974 till: 1975 color:navy bar:shear from: 1975 till: 1977 color:vcno bar:shear from: 1977 till: 1980 color:joint text:"
Harold E. Shear" bar:weinel from: 1974 till: 1977 color:joint text:"
John P. Weinel" bar:michaelis from: 1975 till: 1978 color:navy text:"
Frederick H. Michaelis" bar:davidbagley from: 1975 till: 1977 color:navy text:"
David H. Bagley" bar:stansfieldturner from: 1975 till: 1977 color:joint bar:stansfieldturner from: 1977 till: 1979 color:federal text:"
Stansfield Turner" bar:murphy from: 1976 till: 1977 color:federal text:"
Daniel J. Murphy" bar:hayward from: 1976 till: 1978 color:pacific bar:hayward from: 1978 till: 1982 color:cno text:"
Thomas B. Hayward" bar:long from: 1977 till: 1979 color:vcno bar:long from: 1979 till: 1983 color:joint text:"
Robert L. J. Long" bar:davis from: 1978 till: 1981 color:pacific text:"
Donald C. Davis" bar:whittle from: 1978 till: 1981 color:navy text:"
Alfred J. Whittle Jr." bar:train from: 1978 till: 1982 color:atlantic text:"
Harry D. Train II" bar:watkins from: 1979 till: 1981 color:vcno bar:watkins from: 1981 till: 1982 color:pacific bar:watkins from: 1982 till: 1986 color:cno text:"
James D. Watkins" bar:crowe from: 1980 till: 1985 color:joint bar:crowe from: 1985 till: 1989 color:jcs text:"
William J. Crowe Jr." bar:inman from: 1981 till: 1982 color:federal text:"
Bobby R. Inman" bar:small from: 1981 till: 1983 color:vcno bar:small from: 1983 till: 1985 color:navy text:"
William N. Small" bar:williams from: 1981 till: 1983 color:navy text:"
John G. Williams Jr." bar:kinnear from: 1981 till: 1982 color:joint text:"
George E. R. Kinnear II" bar:mckee from: 1982 till: 1988 color:nuclear text:"
Kinnaird R. McKee" bar:foley from: 1982 till: 1985 color:pacific text:"
Sylvester R. Foley Jr." bar:wesleymcdonald from: 1982 till: 1985 color:atlantic text:"
Wesley L. McDonald" bar:hays from: 1983 till: 1985 color:vcno bar:hays from: 1985 till: 1988 color:joint text:"
Ronald J. Hays" bar:white from: 1983 till: 1985 color:navy text:"
Steven A. White" bar:baggett from: 1985 till: 1988 color:joint text:"
Lee Baggett Jr." bar:lyons from: 1985 till: 1987 color:pacific text:"
James A. Lyons Jr." bar:trost from: 1985 till: 1986 color:atlantic bar:trost from: 1986 till: 1990 color:cno text:"
Carlisle A. H. Trost" bar:busey from: 1985 till: 1987 color:vcno bar:busey from: 1987 till: 1989 color:navy text:"
James B. Busey IV" bar:moreau from: 1985 till: 1986 color:navy text:"
Arthur S. Moreau Jr." bar:kelso from: 1986 till: 1988 color:atlantic bar:kelso from: 1988 till: 1990 color:joint bar:kelso from: 1990 till: 1994 color:cno text:"
Frank B. Kelso II" bar:hardisty from: 1987 till: 1988 color:vcno bar:hardisty from: 1988 till: 1991 color:joint text:"
Huntington Hardisty" bar:carter from: 1987 till: 1988 color:joint bar:carter from: 1988 till: 1991 color:atlantic text:"
Powell F. Carter Jr." bar:jeremiah from: 1987 till: 1990 color:pacific bar:jeremiah from: 1990 till: 1994 color:jcs text:"
David E. Jeremiah" bar:edney from: 1988 till: 1990 color:vcno bar:edney from: 1990 till: 1992 color:joint text:"
Leon A. Edney" bar:demars from: 1988 till: 1996 color:nuclear text:"
Bruce DeMars" bar:hogg from: 1988 till: 1991 color:joint text:"
James R. Hogg" bar:howe from: 1989 till: 1991 color:navy bar:howe from: 1991 till: 1992 color:federal text:"
Jonathan T. Howe" bar:larson from: 1990 till: 1991 color:pacific bar:larson from: 1991 till: 1994 color:joint bar:larson from: 1994 till: 1998 color:navy text:"
Charles R. Larson" bar:jeromejohnson from: 1990 till: 1992 color:vcno text:"
Jerome L. Johnson"
1991–present With the end of the
Cold War,
U.S. Atlantic Command was repurposed as the joint force trainer, becoming
U.S. Joint Forces Command in 1999. The change in mission cost the Navy its traditional monopoly over that command, which has since rotated among all the services, but the Navy made up the difference through repeated appointments to other
combatant commands and to the
vice chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS). All military commanders in chief were retitled "Commanders" in 2002, when the title of "Commander in Chief" was reserved solely to the President of the United States. ==Legislation==