Rear Adm. John Nowell Nominated to be Next Chief of Naval Personnel

February 14, 2019 12:10 PM
Lance Cpl. Nathan Rhodes, a Marine assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aboard amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD-48), shows Rear Adm. John B. Nowell, then commander Task Force (CTF) 76, how to open the hatch of an amphibious assault vehicle (AAV). US Marine Corps photo

The Navy’s director of military personnel plans and policy, Rear Adm. John Nowell, Jr., has been nominated to become the next chief of naval personnel (N1), USNI News has learned.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Nowell will be promoted to vice admiral and replace the outgoing CNP Vice. Adm. Robert Burke. Burke has served in the role since May 2016

Nowell, a 1984 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, previously served as the commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7 and as the director of strategy, resources and plans for U.S. 6th Fleet. He has also served aboard several surface warships, including as commanding officer of USS Porter (DDG-78).

Nowell will become the head of the Navy’s personnel at a time the community is embarking on a significant shift in the way Navy education is distributed. A new three-star admiral position, the director of warfighting development (OPNAV N7) will soon be appointed to take over the training and education work currently done by the chief of naval personnel. The new N7 position is among the several changes suggested by the recently released Education for Seapower study.

Ben Werner

Ben Werner

Ben Werner is a staff writer for USNI News. He has worked as a freelance writer in Busan, South Korea, and as a staff writer covering education and publicly traded companies for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., Savannah Morning News in Savannah, Ga., and Baltimore Business Journal. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree from New York University.

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