Title 10Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§8016 Assistant Secretaries of the Navy

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle C— - Navy and Marine Corps › Part PART I— - ORGANIZATION › Chapter CHAPTER 803— - DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY › § 8016

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

There are four Assistant Secretaries of the Navy. They must be civilians chosen by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They do the jobs the Secretary of the Navy assigns. One is in charge of manpower and reserve affairs and oversees all personnel and reserve matters. One handles financial management and must come from people with strong budget, financial, or audit experience in complex organizations; that person is the Navy’s comptroller and manages and advises on all financial matters. One oversees research, development, acquisition, and sustainment and has a Principal Military Deputy who is an active-duty Navy or Marine officer with acquisition and program experience; that deputy is a critical acquisition position under section 1731 and may act in the job for up to one year if vacant. One manages energy, installations, and environmental matters.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §8016

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There are four Assistant Secretaries of the Navy. They shall be appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(b)(1)The Assistant Secretaries shall perform such duties and exercise such powers as the Secretary of the Navy may prescribe.
(2)One of the Assistant Secretaries shall be the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He shall have as his principal duty the overall supervision of manpower and reserve component affairs of the Department of the Navy.
(3)(A)One of the Assistant Secretaries shall be the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management.
(B)The Assistant Secretary shall be appointed from among persons who have significant budget, financial management, or audit experience in complex organizations.
(C)The principal responsibility of the Assistant Secretary shall be the exercise of the comptroller functions of the Department of the Navy, including financial management functions. The Assistant Secretary shall be responsible for all financial management activities and operations of the Department of the Navy and shall advise the Secretary of the Navy on financial management.
(4)(A)One of the Assistant Secretaries shall be the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition. The principal duty of the Assistant Secretary shall be the overall supervision of research, development, acquisition, and sustainment (including maintenance) matters of the Department of the Navy.
(B)The Assistant Secretary shall have a Principal Military Deputy, who shall be an officer of the Navy or the Marine Corps on active duty. The Principal Military Deputy shall be appointed from among officers who have significant experience in the areas of acquisition and program management. The position of Principal Military Deputy shall be designated as a critical acquisition position under section 1731 of this title. In the event of a vacancy in the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, the Principal Military Deputy may serve as Acting Assistant Secretary for a period of not more than one year.
(5)(A)One of the Assistant Secretaries shall be the Assistant Secretary for Energy, Installations, and Environment.
(B)The principal duty of the Assistant Secretary for Energy, Installations, and Environment shall be the overall supervision of energy, installation, and environment matters for the Department of the Navy.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in section 5034 of this title prior to enactment of Pub. L. 99–433. A prior section 8016 was renumbered section 9016 of this title.

Amendments

2019—Subsec. (b)(4)(B). Pub. L. 116–92, § 861(j)(15), substituted “under section 1731 of this title” for “under section 1733 of this title”. Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 116–92, § 911(b), added par. (5). 2018—Pub. L. 115–232, § 807(a)(1), renumbered section 5016 of this title as this section. Subsec. (b)(4)(A). Pub. L. 115–232, § 915, substituted “acquisition, and sustainment (including maintenance) matters” for “and acquisition matters”. 2017—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 115–91 designated first sentence as subpar. (A), designated second and third sentences as subpar. (C) and, in subpar. (C), substituted “The principal responsibility of the Assistant Secretary shall be” for “The Assistant Secretary shall have as his principal responsibility”, and added subpar. (B). 2016—Subsec. (b)(4)(B). Pub. L. 114–328, § 802(b), inserted at end “In the event of a vacancy in the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, the Principal Military Deputy may serve as Acting Assistant Secretary for a period of not more than one year.” Pub. L. 114–328, § 502(t), substituted “an officer of the Navy or the Marine Corps” for “a vice admiral of the Navy or a lieutenant general of the Marine Corps”. 2008—Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 110–181 added par. (4). 1988—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 100–456 added par. (3).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by section 807(a)(1) of Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of

Amendments

and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date

of 2017 AmendmentFor applicability of appointment qualifications imposed by section 921 of Pub. L. 115–91 to certain appointments made on or after Dec. 12, 2017, see section 921(d) of Pub. L. 115–91, set out as a note under section 7016 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–456 effective Jan. 20, 1989, see section 702(e)(1) of Pub. L. 100–456, set out as a note under section 7016 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 8016

Title 10Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73