Polishing Brass

On 23 March 2023, the U.S. Navy announced the appointment of new commanders to its Naval Air Forces and NAVSEA divisions.

Rear Admiral Dan “Undra” Cheever will assume command of Naval Air Forces. Admiral Cheever, who joined the Navy in 1988, replaces Vice Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, who’s served as the division’s so-called Airboss since 2020. Admiral Cheever will also assume command of Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and—in keeping with the high station to which he’s been appointed—receive a promotion to Vice Admiral.

The modern U.S. Navy retains four strata of Admiral: Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, Admiral, and Fleet Admiral. The latter is generally recognized as a strictly wartime rank and, throughout the history of the U.S. Navy, has been held by only four men: William D. Leahy, Ernest King, Chester W. Nimitz, and William Halsey Jr.

Leahy, King, and Nimitz were promoted to the rank in December 1944, followed by Halsey in December 1945. While all four officers effectively retired in the late 1940s, the rank of fleet admiral is for life. The last active fleet admiral, Chester Nimitz, passed away in 1966.

Admiral Cheever currently serves as chief of staff for North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command. Previously, he served as commander of Carrier Strike Group 4.

Admiral Cheever also commanded the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center in Fallon, Nevada, from 2017 to 2019. Additionally, he served in the capacity of flight instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun prior to 1996) in Miramar, California, and the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (Top Gun after 1996) in Fallon, Nevada, from 1995 to 1998.

The Navy also named Rear Admiral James P. Downey, who has served as program executive officer for aircraft carriers since 2019, as the next commander of Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. Downey will replace Vice Admiral William Galinis, who became NAVSEA commander in 2020.

Admiral Downey previously served as commander of Navy Regional Maintenance Center and Naval Sea Systems Command’s deputy commander for surface warfare.

Vice Admiral Daniel W. Dwyer has been assigned deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting development, N7, in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Admiral Dwyer is currently serving as commander of both U.S. 2nd Fleet and Joint Forces Command Norfolk in Virginia.

FMI: www.navy.mil