Report: US Navy May Cut Vice Admiral Posts in Acquisitions Programs

 

Following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's order to cut the number of four-star officers across the military by 20 percent, the Navy is considering a plan to eliminate the three-star positions atop its acquisitions bureaucracy, according to Politico. The reported plan would remove the vice admirals in charge of buying and maintaining everything the Navy uses to fight - aircraft, ships, information warfare systems, supplies and facilities - and allow civilian appointees. 

The proposal would affect all five of the Navy's systems commands, including Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). The department is the buyer and maintainer of America's warships and subs, making it the world's largest shipowner when measured by vessel value. In recent years, NAVSEA has come under scrutiny because of the ballooning costs and timetables of U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs. The command's design requirements and change orders have received a share of the blame for setbacks in building frigates, carriers and submarines - though there are other causes, like the intractable workforce shortage facing shipbuilders and other manufacturing employers. 

Under the revised organizational chart that Politico reported, the navy would eliminate the position of the vice admiral in charge of NAVSEA, along with the equivalent posts at the systems commands for Naval Air, Naval Information Warfare, Naval Facilities Engineering, and Naval Supply. This would have the knock-on effect of cutting the staff posts within the vice admiral's office, reducing head count by a much larger amount. 

A spokesperson for Navy Secretary John Phelan denied that such a plan exists. Separately, a spokesperson for the Navy told Politico that the plan is not yet finalized. 

The decision would align with Defense Secretary Hegseth's proposal to reduce "excess general and flag officer positions" across the military. Hegseth has called for all services to eliminate 20 percent of all four-star positions and at least 10 percent of all other general and flag officers across the military. The objective, Hegseth said in a memo issued in early May, is to cut "unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder . . . growth and effectiveness."