Chief of Naval Operations

Unless the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a naval officer, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is the senior officer of the United States Navy. A member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he does not directly command operational forces of the Navy, which are under Unified Combatant Commands that report to the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States; the latter two constitute the National Command Authority.

A large staff organization does report to the CNO, and he has a major role in developing naval doctrine, planning the navy of the future, preparing its budget, etc.