Editing Vice Chief of Naval Operations (section)

==Role==
The senior leadership of the [[U.S. Department of the Navy]] consists of two civilians, the [[United States Secretary of the Navy|secretary of the Navy]] (SECNAV) and the [[Under Secretary of the Navy|under secretary of the Navy]] (USECNAV), as well as the four senior commissioned officers on the two military service staffs: [[Office of the Chief of Naval Operations]] (OPNAV) and [[Headquarters Marine Corps]] (HQMC).

The vice chief is the principal deputy of the chief of Naval operations (CNO). The vice chief may also perform other delegated duties that either the secretary of the Navy or the CNO assigns to him or her. If the CNO is absent or is unable to perform their duties, then the vice chief assumes the duties and responsibilities of the CNO. Within the [[Office of the Chief of Naval Operations]], while there are several Deputy Chiefs of Naval Operations (DCNOs) of either three or two star rank, there is only one VCNO.

The vice chief is appointed by the [[president of the United States]], and must be confirmed via majority vote by the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. While there is not a fixed term nor a term limit in the statute; the historical precedent is that a vice chief of naval operations serves for a tenure of two to three years.