NORFOLK, Va. (Oct. 6, 2010) - Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet today announced a realignment of the command structure for the respective fleets, enabling greater effectiveness and responsiveness to waterfront current and future readiness needs. The new structure establishes unambiguous command and control and administrative control lines of authority and accountability for ship manning, training, equipping and maintenance issues.

This revision will ensure Atlantic and Pacific Fleet units are operating from a common baseline defined by joint policy and joint standards; and further acknowledges that the demands placed on the Navy environment are not the same in the Atlantic and Pacific so there should be no pursuit of “cookie cutter” solutions to problems that may be unique to each fleet.

This action includes the realignment of Commander, Naval Air Forces and Commander, Naval Surface Forces from Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and since naval forces are assigned to Type Commanders and not Fleet Type Commanders, the revision includes the direction that only Type Commanders have the authority to man, train, equip and maintain assigned forces. This action also establishes a Fleet Integration Executive Panel chaired by both Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet and Commander U.S. Fleet Forces Command, replacing the Fleet Readiness Enterprise, formerly led by U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) revisions to Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet and Commander U.S. Fleet Forces’ missions, functions and tasks extends the clear and unambiguous chain-of-command between Sailors and their Commanding Officers/Officers-in-Charge of our units up to their Fleet Commanders, who are ultimately responsible for providing them with the training, tools and time needed to prepare them to deploy with confidence in their ability to accomplish their assigned missions. By revising these missions, functions and tasks, CNO has reestablished the Sailor and the operational readiness of their unit as the focal point of the Fleet chain-of-command.

A diagram outlining the new command structure is available here.