President Joe Biden has nominated the next deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities, the commander of Naval Surface Forces and the deputy commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, the Pentagon announced Monday.
Biden nominated Rear Adm. James Pitts to serve as the deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities (OPNAV N9). If approved by the Senate, Pitts will also get promoted to vice admiral.
Pitts currently serves as the director of warfighting integration, N91, on the chief of naval operations staff. If confirmed, he will replace Vice Adm. Scott Conn, who has served as the N9 since July 2021.
Rear Adm. Brendan McLane will serve as the next commander of Naval Surface Forces and the commander of Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, if approved by the Senate. McLane is also up for a third star. He would replace Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, who has commanded Naval Surface Forces since August 2020. McLane is currently the commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic.
The president also nominated Rear Adm. John Gumbleton to be the deputy commander of Fleet Forces, with the promotion to vice admiral, if approved by the Senate. Gumbleton is currently the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Budget. If confirmed, he would replace Vice Adm. Jim Kilby, who has been the deputy commander of Fleet Forces since August 2021.
Vice Adm. Bradley Cooper has been nominated to serve as the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command. Cooper is the commander of U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command.
The president’s nominations also include Rear Adm. Yvette Davids to become the next superintendent of the Naval Academy, USNI News previously reported. Rear Adm. Christopher Gray received a nomination to be the commander of Navy Installations Command.
However, the timing of the confirmations remains an open question. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has held up Department of Defense civilian and military nominations over objections to Pentagon policies that allow service members to take leave, including out of state, for reproductive healthcare.
So far, more than 100 Defense Department nominations have been affected by Tuberville’s hold.
