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General Counsel of the Navy
Seal of the Office of the General Counsel
Flag of the General Counsel and the Assistant Secretaries of the Navy
Incumbent Sean Coffey since February 16, 2022
Department of the Navy Office of the Secretary
Style	The Honorable (formal address in writing)
Reports to	Secretary of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, United States
Nominator	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 8019
Precursor	Solicitor General of the Navy
Formation	1941
First holder	H. Struve Hensel
Succession	18th in SecDef succession by seniority of appointment
Deputy	Principal Deputy General Counsel
Salary	Executive Schedule, level IV
Website	Official website

The General Counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the U.S. Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice to the Secretary, the Under Secretary of the Navy and the various Assistant Secretaries of the Navy and their staffs. The General Counsel of the Navy is the third highest-ranking civilian office in the Department of the Navy, behind the Secretary and Under Secretary of the Navy.

The General Counsel maintains a close working relationship with the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, the senior uniformed lawyer in the Department of the Navy who performs statutory duties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The General Counsel manages nearly 650 attorneys worldwide, helps to oversee the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and advises senior Navy and Marine Corps officials on litigation, acquisition, contractual, fiscal, environmental, property, personnel, legislative, ethics, and intelligence law issues.

General Counsels of the Navy, 1941—present

The first General Counsel of the Navy was appointed in 1941. From 1862 to 1941, essentially the same function was provided by the Solicitor General of the Navy.

Image	Name	Assumed office	Left office	President appointed by	Secretary served under
	H. Struve Hensel	July 10, 1941	January 30, 1945	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Frank Knox James Forrestal
	W. John Kenney	February 5, 1945	April 2, 1945		James Forrestal
	Patrick H. Hodgson	April 3, 1945	October 31, 1945
	J. Henry Neale	November 1, 1945	July 26, 1946	Harry S. Truman
	William Wemple	July 27, 1946	August 23, 1946
	James T. Hill, Jr.	August 24, 1946	May 15, 1947
	Hudson B. Cox	May 16, 1947	April 29, 1949		James Forrestal John L. Sullivan
	Harold B. Gross	April 30, 1949	August 30, 1953		Francis P. Matthews Dan A. Kimball Robert B. Anderson
	F. Trowbridge vom Baur	December 15, 1953	April 30, 1960	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Robert B. Anderson Charles Thomas Thomas S. Gates, Jr. William B. Franke
	Meritt H. Steger	May 2, 1960	May 31, 1971		William B. Franke John Connally Fred Korth Paul Nitze Paul Robert Ignatius John Chafee
	Hart T. Mankin	June 7, 1971	July 21, 1973	Richard Nixon	John Chafee John Warner
	E. Grey Lewis	August 1, 1973	April 21, 1977		John Warner J. William Middendorf
	Togo D. West, Jr.	April 22, 1977	January 13, 1979	Jimmy Carter	W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
	Coleman Hicks	May 25, 1979	January 13, 1981		Edward Hidalgo
	Hugh O'Neill (Acting)	June 1981	August 24, 1981	Ronald Reagan	John Lehman
	Walter T. Skallerup, Jr.	August 24, 1981	July 29, 1987
	Harvey J. Wilcox (Deputy GC)	July 29, 1987	November 21, 1988		Jim Webb William L. Ball
	Lawrence L. Lamade	November 22, 1988	November 21, 1989		William L. Ball Henry L. Garrett III
	Craig S. King	November 22, 1989	January 20, 1993	George H. W. Bush	Henry L. Garrett III Sean O'Keefe
	Steven S. Honigman	June 1, 1993	March 15, 1998	Bill Clinton	John Howard Dalton
	Eugene Angrist (Deputy GC)	March 15, 1998	September 28, 1998
	Stephen W. Preston	September 28, 1998	November 17, 2000		Richard Danzig
	John E. Sparks (acting)	November 17, 2000	December 12, 2000
	William Molzahn (Deputy GC)	December 12, 2000	July 25, 2001	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
	Alberto J. Mora	July 25, 2001	January 1, 2006	George W. Bush	Gordon R. England
	Paul C. Ney, Jr. (acting)	January 2, 2006	September 25, 2006		Donald C. Winter
	Frank Jimenez	September 25, 2006	April 30, 2009
	Anne M. Brennan (acting)	April 30, 2009	March 11, 2010	Barack Obama	Ray Mabus
	Paul L. Oostburg Sanz	March 12, 2010	January 20, 2017
	Anne M. Brennan (acting)	January 20, 2017	March 6, 2019	Donald J Trump	Richard V. Spencer
	Garrett L. Ressing (acting)	March 7, 2019	January 5, 2020		Richard V. Spencer Thomas B. Modly (acting)
	Robert Sander	January 6, 2020	January 20, 2021		Thomas B. Modly (acting)
	Garrett L. Ressing (acting)	January 20, 2021	February 16, 2022	Joe Biden	Thomas Harker (acting) Carlos Del Toro
	Sean Coffey	February 16, 2022	Incumbent		Carlos Del Toro

See also

• General Counsel of the Department of Defense
• General Counsel of the Army
• General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force

References

1. "Home - SECRETARY OF THE NAVY" (PDF). www.secnav.navy.mil. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
2. 5 U.S.C. § 5315
3. History of the Office of General Counsel of the Navy

External links

• Official website

v t e United States Department of Defense
Headquarters: The Pentagon Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense (including defense agencies and DoD field activities) Deputy Secretary of Defense Deputy's Advisory Working Group Office of Net Assessment Special Access Program Oversight Committee Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Defense Contract Management Agency Defense Logistics Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Acquisition University Defense Acquisition Board Defense Microelectronics Activity Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Defense Innovation Unit Defense Technical Information Center Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center Missile Defense Agency Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Defense Security Cooperation Agency Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Defense Contract Audit Agency Defense Finance and Accounting Service Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Defense Commissary Agency Department of Defense Education Activity Defense Human Resources Activity Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute Defense Travel Management Office Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service Defense Health Agency Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Defense Information Systems Agency (White House Communications Agency) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency/Central Security Service (Director/Chief) Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Defense Media Activity (American Forces Press Service, American Forces Radio and Television Service, Stars and Stripes, The Pentagon Channel) General Counsel of the Department of Defense Defense Legal Services Agency (Office of Military Commissions) Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense Pentagon Force Protection Agency Washington Headquarters Services (White House Military Office)
Military Departments Department of the Army Secretary of the Army The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Army Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Assistant Secretary (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs General Counsel of the Army The Administrative Assistant The Army Staff: Chief of Staff of the Army Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Sergeant Major of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 Chief of Chaplains Judge Advocate General Provost Marshal General Surgeon General U.S. Army field organizations: see Structure of the United States Army Department of the Navy Secretary of the Navy The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions) General Counsel of the Navy Judge Advocate General Naval Criminal Investigative Service Naval Inspector General Headquarters Marine Corps: Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Chaplain U.S. Marine Corps field organizations: see Organization of the United States Marine Corps Office of the Chief of Naval Operations: Chief of Naval Operations Vice Chief of Naval Operations Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Director of Naval Reactors Chief of Chaplains Chief of Naval Personnel Surgeon General United States Navy field organizations: see Structure of the United States Navy Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Air Force Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management & Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment & Logistics) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Air Staff: Chief of Staff of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Chief of Chaplains Chief of Safety Chief Scientist Judge Advocate General Surgeon General U.S. Air Force field organizations: Major Commands Direct Reporting Units Field Operating Agencies Space Staff: Chief of Space Operations United States Space Force field organizations
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v t e United States secretaries of the Navy
Secretaries	Cabinet-level Stoddert Smith Hamilton Jones Crowninshield S Thompson Southard Branch L. Woodbury Dickerson Paulding Badger Upshur Henshaw Gilmer Mason Bancroft Mason Preston Graham Kennedy Dobbin Toucey Welles Borie Robeson R Thompson Goff Hunt Chandler Whitney Tracy Herbert Long Moody Morton Bonaparte Metcalf Newberry Meyer Daniels Denby Wilbur Adams Swanson Edison Knox Forrestal Dept. of Defense Sullivan Matthews Kimball Anderson Thomas T. Gates Franke Connally Korth Nitze Ignatius Chafee Warner Middendorf Claytor Hidalgo Lehman Webb Ball Garrett O'Keefe Dalton Danzig England Winter Mabus Spencer Braithwaite Del Toro
Under Secretaries	Forrestal Bard A. Gates Sullivan Kenney Kimball Whitehair Thomas T. Gates Franke Bantz Fay BeLieu Baldwin Baird Warner Sanders Middendorf Potter Macdonald Woolsey Murray Goodrich Garrett Howard Danzig Hultin Pirie Livingstone Aviles Work Davidson Modly Raven
Assistant Secretaries	Pre–1954 Fox Faxon Soley McAdoo T. Roosevelt Sr. Allen Hackett Darling Newberry Satterlee Winthrop F. Roosevelt G. Woodbury T. Roosevelt Jr. Robinson Jahncke H. Roosevelt Edison Compton Bard Hensel Kenney Andrews Koehler Askins Fogler Post–1954 Financial Management and Comptroller Energy, Installations and Environment Manpower and Reserve Affairs Research, Development and Acquisitions General Counsel of the Navy defunct: Air Installations and Logistics Material Research and Development Research, Engineering and Systems Shipbuilding and Logistics

v t e  United States Navy
Category
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v t e United States Marine Corps
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Category

• Office of the Secretary of the Navy
• Lawyers who have represented the United States government
• United States Navy civilians
• General Counsels of the United States Navy
• 1941 establishments in the United States