Department of the Navy

Department of the Navy, one of the three major components of the United States Department of Defense. Created as a separate executive department of the federal government by congressional enactment in 1798, the department was incorporated into the Defense Department organization by the National Security Act Amendments of 1949. It is administered by the secretary of the navy, who is appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate and functions under the direction of the secretary of defense. The department's aim is to maintain the U.S. Navy as an integrated entity of sufficient strength on the sea and in the air to uphold, in conjunction with the other armed forces, the national and international policies and interests of the U.S., to support its commerce, and to guard the nation and its overseas possessions and dependencies.

The administrative functions of the department are performed by a group of agencies operating within the executive office of the secretary. The chief of naval operations is the principal naval adviser to the president, to the secretary of defense, and to the secretary of the navy in matters relating to the conduct of warfare and the activities of the navy. He is also the navy member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Deputy chiefs of naval operations handle matters relating to personnel and training, policy and operations, logistics, naval warfare, and naval program planning. The navy's operating forces include several fleets, seagoing forces, and the Military Sealift Command. The following commands provide material support to the navy and the Marine Corps: Naval Air Systems Command, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Naval Sea Systems Command, and Naval Supply Systems Command. Other specialized functions are handled by the Naval Medical Command and the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Military law is administered by the office of the Judge Advocate General. Also serving under the secretary of the navy is the commandant of the Marine Corps.

A number of agencies operating within the department are responsible for the performance of various specialized and technical functions. The Naval Oceanography Command is charged with making hydrographic and oceanographic surveys in foreign waters and on the high seas and with collecting and disseminating hydrographic and oceanographic information and data. The Naval Space Command is responsible for all navy space-related systems; it is working to prepare the service for extended future involvement in space programs. Other functional field commands deal with telecommunications, cryptology, intelligence, legal services, investigative services, education and training, and information systems. The Naval Observatory performs astronomical observations and is responsible for the dissemination of such data as will afford means of safe navigation to U.S. and other naval vessels and aircraft. The department also operates the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.