[Title 32 CFR 700.101]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - July 1, 2002 Edition]
[Title 32 - NATIONAL DEFENSE]
[Subtitle A - Department of Defense (Continued)]
[Chapter Vi - DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY]
[Subchapter A - UNITED STATES NAVY REGULATIONS AND OFFICIAL RECORDS]
[Part 700 - UNITED STATES NAVY REGULATIONS AND OFFICIAL RECORDS]
[Subpart A - Navy Regulations]
[Sec. 700.101 - Origin and history of United States Navy Regulations.]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


32NATIONAL DEFENSE52002-07-012002-07-01false700.101Sec. 700.101NATIONAL DEFENSEDepartment of Defense (Continued)DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVYUNITED STATES NAVY REGULATIONS AND OFFICIAL RECORDSUNITED STATES NAVY REGULATIONS AND OFFICIAL RECORDSNavy Regulations
Sec. 700.101  Origin and history of United States Navy Regulations.

    (a) United States Navy Regulations began with the enactment by the 
Continental Congress of the ``Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of 
the United Colonies'' on November 28, 1775. The first issuance by the 
United States Government which covered this subject matter was ``An Act 
for the Government of the Navy of the United States,'' enacted on March 
2, 1799. This was followed the next year by ``An Act for the Better 
Government of the Navy of the United States.''
    (b) In the years preceding the Civil War, twelve successor 
publications were promulgated under a number of titles by the President, 
the Navy Department and the Secretary of the Navy. A decision by the 
Attorney General that the last of the pre-Civil War issuances was 
invalid led to the inclusion in the 1862 naval appropriations bill of a 
provision that ``the orders, regulations, and instructions heretofore 
issued by the Secretary of the Navy be, and they are hereby, recognized 
as the regulations of the Navy Department, subject, however, to such 
alterations as the Secretary of the Navy may adopt, with the approbation 
of the President of the United States.''
    (c) Thirteen editions of Navy Regulations were published in 
accordance with this authority (later codified as Section 1547, Revised 
Statutes) between 1865 and 1948. The 1973 edition of Navy Regulations 
was published under authority of 10 United States Code (U.S.C.) 6011, 
which provided that ``United States Navy Regulations shall be issued by 
the Secretary of the Navy with the approval of the President.'' In 1981, 
this provision was amended to eliminate the requirement for presidential 
approval.
    (d) While leaving this provision unaffected, Congress enacted the 
Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 (Pub. 
L. 99-443), which granted each of the service secretaries the authority 
to prescribe regulations to carry out his or her statutory functions, 
powers and duties.