[United States Government Manual]
[May 31, 1996]
[Pages 213-217]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
Office of the Secretary of the Navy
Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy is the head of the Department of the Navy.
Under the direction, authority, and control of the Secretary of Defense,
the Secretary of the Navy is responsible for the policies and control of
the Department of the Navy, including its organization, administration,
functioning, and efficiency. The members of the Secretary's executive
administration assist in the discharge of the responsibilities of the
Secretary of the Navy.
During the temporary absence of the Secretary of the Navy, the Under
Secretary of the Navy is next in succession to act as the Secretary of
the Navy. The Under Secretary functions as deputy and principal
assistant to the Secretary, and acts with full authority of the
Secretary in the general management of the Department.
Civilian Executive Assistants
The Civilian Executive Assistants to the Secretary are the principal
advisers and assistants to the Secretary of the Navy on the
administration of the affairs of the Department of the Navy as a whole
and are assigned departmentwide responsibilities for areas essential to
the efficient administration of the Department of the Navy.
The Civilian Executive Assistants to the Secretary of the Navy are
the Under Secretary of the Navy, the Assistant Secretaries of the Navy,
and the General Counsel of the Navy. It is the policy of the Secretary
to assign departmentwide responsibilities essential to the efficient
administration of the Department of the Navy to the Civilian Executive
Assistants.
Each Civilian Executive Assistant, within an assigned area of
responsibility, is the principal adviser and assistant to the Secretary
on the administration of the affairs of the Department of the
[[Page 214]]
[[Page 215]]
Navy. The Civilian Executive Assistants carry out the duties in harmony
with the statutory positions of the Chief of Naval Operations, who is
the principal military adviser and executive to the Secretary regarding
naval matters, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, who is the
principal military adviser and executive regarding Marine Corps matters.
Each is authorized and directed to act for the Secretary within his
assigned area of responsibility.
The Staff Assistants
The Staff Assistants to the Secretary of the Navy are the Naval
Inspector General, the Auditor General of the Navy, and the Chief of
Information. The heads of such other offices and boards established by
law or by the Secretary for the purpose of assisting the Secretary or
one or more of the Civilian Executive Assistants in the administration
of the Department of the Navy are detailed as follows.
Judge Advocate General The Judge Advocate General is the senior officer
and head of the Judge Advocate General's Corps, and the Office of the
Judge Advocate General. The Judge Advocate General provides or
supervises the provision of all legal advice and related services
throughout the Department of the Navy, except for the advice and
services provided by the General Counsel. He also performs functions
required or authorized by law; provides legal and policy advice to the
Secretary of the Navy on military justice, ethics, administrative law,
claims, environmental law, operational and international law and treaty
interpretation, and litigation involving these issues; and acts on other
matters as directed by the Secretary.
The Judge Advocate General also supervises the administration of
military justice throughout the Department of the Navy, performs
functions required or authorized by the Uniform Code of Military
Justice, and provides technical supervision for the Naval Justice School
at Newport, RI.
The Judge Advocate General maintains a close working relationship
with the General Counsel on all matters of common interest and liaisons
with other departments and agencies of the Government as appropriate.
The Deputy Judge Advocate General performs the duties of the Judge
Advocate General when there is a vacancy in that office, or during the
absence or disability of the Judge Advocate General. The Deputy Judge
Advocate General is also Commander of the Naval Legal Service Command
which includes Naval Legal Service Offices, their detachments, and the
Naval Justice School.
Officers of the Judge Advocate General's Corps and judge advocates
of the Marine Corps provide a variety of legal services to both
individual servicemembers and naval commands and activities. Legal
assistance service to qualified servicemembers and their dependents
includes advice on tax, adoption, divorce, contracts, and landlord/
tenant matters. Individual servicemembers are provided personal
representation for courts-martial, and may be provided assistance for
nonjudicial punishment, complaints pursuant to Article 138 of the
Uniform Code of Military Justice, and petitions to the Board for
Correction of Naval Records.
Unified, specified, and naval commands are provided legal service on
such diverse matters as investigations, claims, environmental law,
admiralty, operational and international law and treaty interpretation,
courts-martial, nonjudicial punishment, civilian personnel law at field
activities (under the overall coordination and policy guidance of the
Office of Civilian Personnel Management), military personnel law,
Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act, service of process, and the
authority of installation commanders.
(Public Affairs Officer, Office of the Judge Advocate General,
Department of the Navy, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332-2400.
Phone, 703-614-7420.)
Naval Criminal Investigative Service The Director, Naval Criminal
Investigative Service, commands a worldwide organization with
[[Page 216]]
representation in more than 160 geographic locations to provide criminal
investigative, counterintelligence, law enforcement and physical
security, and information and personnel security support to the Navy and
Marine Corps, both ashore and afloat. The Naval Criminal Investigative
Service is comprised of law enforcement professionals who are
investigators, crime laboratory technicians, technical investigative
specialists, security specialists, and administrative support personnel.
(Director, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Department of the Navy,
Washington, DC 20388-5000. For general information, call 202-433-8800,
or contact the Operations Control Center/Headquarters Duty Officer, 202-
433-9323.)
Research and Technology The Office of Naval Research, established by
act of Congress on August 1, 1946 (10 U.S.C. 5150-5153), is headed by
the Chief of Naval Research, who is authorized to act for the Secretary
of the Navy on all assigned matters.
The Office is integrated headquarters of the Navy for science and
technology investment. Within the science and technology structure,
funding for basic research, exploratory development, advanced technology
development, manufacturing technologies, and small business support is
merged under the management of the Chief of Naval Research. The Office
of Naval Research integrates the Navy's science and technology
investments, and accelerates research results into technology
development and manufacturing processes on U.S. production lines.
(Office of Naval Research, Ballston Tower 1, 800 North Quincy Street,
Arlington, VA 22217-5660. Phone, 703-696-5031.)
Personnel Boards The Naval Council of Personnel Boards, comprised of
the Naval Discharge Review Board, Naval Complaints Review Board, Naval
Clemency and Parole Board, and the Physical Evaluation Board
administers, under the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and
Reserve Affairs), personnel services and support as indicated by each
component board's title.
The Naval Discharge Review Board reviews, pursuant to 10 U.S.C.
1553, upon its own motion or upon request by or on behalf of former Navy
and Marine Corps members, the type and reason for discharge or dismissal
received by that former member, except a discharge or dismissal by
reason of the sentence of general court-martial. It determines whether,
under reasonable standards of naval law and discipline, a discharge or
dismissal should be changed and, if so, what change should be made.
The Naval Complaints Review Board reviews, upon request, decisional
documents and/or index entries created by the Naval Discharge Review
Board after April 1, 1977. The Naval Complaints Review Board determines
whether decisional documents conform to those applicable regulations of
the Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy.
The Naval Clemency and Parole Board reviews, pursuant to 10 U.S.C.
953-954, Navy and Marine Corps court-martial cases referred to it and
grants or denies clemency; and, pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 952, reviews and
directs that parole be granted or denied in cases referred to it for
review.
The Physical Evaluation Board organizes and administers disability
evaluations within the Department of the Navy, pursuant to 10 U.S.C.,
chapter 61, and other applicable provisions of law and regulation. It is
comprised of the Record Review Panel, regional hearing panels at
Bethesda, MD, and San Diego, CA, and disability evaluation system
counselors located at major medical centers. The system considers
evidence concerning disabilities of personnel and determines the
appropriate disposition in each case.
(Naval Council of Personnel Boards, Department of the Navy, Room 905,
801 North Randolph Street, Arlington, VA 22203. Phone, 703-696-4356.)
Naval Records The Board for Correction of Naval Records is a statutory
civilian board established, pursuant to the provisions of 10 U.S.C.
1552, to relieve the Congress of the burden and necessity of considering
private relief legislation for the
[[Page 217]]
correction of errors and injustices suffered by members and former
members of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Secretary of the Navy, acting
through this board of civilians of the executive part of the Department,
is authorized to take action consistent with law and regulation to
correct naval or military records of the Department of the Navy where
such action is necessary or appropriate to correct an error or to remove
an injustice. The Board represents the highest echelon of review of
administrative errors and injustices. The Board reviews, on application,
actions taken by various boards and officials in the Department.
(Board for Correction of Naval Records, Department of the Navy, Room
2432, Navy Annex, Washington, DC 20370-5100. Phone, 703-614-1402.)