Assistant Secretary of the Navy

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. As of 2007, there are four Assistant Secretaries of the Navy:
*Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition
*Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
*Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller
*Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment

Along with the General Counsel of the Department of the Navy, who is head of the Office of General Counsel, the four Assistant Secretaries of the Navy report to the Under Secretary of the Navy (the Navy's number-two civilian officer), who reports to the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV).

The Chief of Naval Research (CNR) reports to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy and is also the Commander of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) [http://www.onr.navy.mil ONR] ONR coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

History

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was established in 1861, to provide a senior deputy to the Secretary. The Assistant Secretary was responsible for the Navy's civilian personnel, as well as for administration of shore facilities (such as naval bases and shipyards). Gustavus Fox was the first to hold the post, serving throughout the Civil War. The office was disestablished in 1869, during Reconstruction, but was reestablished by Congress on July 11, 1890. James R. Soley was the first to be appointed to the newly reestablished position.

The Assistant Secretary was the Navy's number-two civilian until 1940, when Congress established the position of Under Secretary of the Navy, who was given oversight of the Assistant Secretary's activities. James V. Forrestal, later Secretary of Defense, was the first to serve as Under Secretary; he held the post until 1944, when he became Secretary of the Navy.

During the 20th century, the responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary were divided among several officials. During the 1920's, for example, to reflect the increasing importance of naval aviation, Congress established the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air.

Famous Assistant Secretaries of the Navy

* U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1897-1898, during the William McKinley administration.

* U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913 until 1920, and helped to implement Navy policies during World War I.

*Actually, according to author Edward J. Renehan, Jr., no less than five members of the extended Roosevelt clan served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy: Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. who served from 1921 through 1924 under Harding and Coolidge, Theodore Douglas Robinson (the son of Corinne Roosevelt) who served from 1924 through 1929 under Coolidge, and finally Henry Latrobe Roosevelt, a descendant of Robert Fulton's old friend "Steamboat Nicholas" Roosevelt, who served from 1933 through 1936 under FDR. [http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/TRandNavy.htm]

*Ralph Austin Bard was Assistant Secretary (1941-1944) and then Under Secretary (1944–1945) during World War II.

ee also

*Secretary of the Navy
*United States Department of the Navy

External links

* [http://www.archives.gov/research_room/federal_records_guide/general_department_of_navy_1798_1947_rg080.html#80.3.1 80.3.1 Records of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy] General Records of the Department of the Navy, 1798-1947 (Record Group 80) 1804-1958, from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
* [http://www.history.navy.mil Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C.] Source for papers and photos of various Assistant Secretaries of the Navy
* [http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/organization/org-sec.html Navy Organization - The Secretariat] An organizational chart for the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Dept. of the Navy
* [http://home.earthlink.net/~mcmillanj/personal/navdept.html Sea Flags: Navy Department Personal Flags] Includes images of the flags flown by the Assistant Secretary and the Under Secretary [this link is dead]