Judge Advocate General of the Navy

The Judge Advocate General of the Navy (JAG) is the highest-ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy. The Judge Advocate General is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations on legal matters pertaining to the Navy.[2] The Judge Advocate General also performs other duties prescribed to them under 10 U.S.C. § 5148 and those prescribed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Judge Advocate General of the Department of the Navy JAG
Seal of the Office of the Judge Advocate General
Incumbent Vice Admiral John G. Hannink, JAGC, USN since 12 September 2018[1]
Department of the Navy Office of the Secretary
Reports to	Secretary of the Navy Chief of Naval Operations
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, United States
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	Four years
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 5148
Formation	1880
First holder	Colonel William Butler Remey, USMC
Deputy	Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy
Website	Official Website

Duties

The Judge Advocate General of the Navy, according to the United States Navy Regulations, has three principal roles: Staff Assistant in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, commanding the Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG), and is Chief of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

The Judge Advocate General maintains a close working relationship with the General Counsel of the Department of the Navy, the senior civilian lawyer in the Department of the Navy.

The Judge Advocate General:[3]

• provides or supervises the provision of all legal advice and related services throughout the Department of the Navy, except for the advice and services provided by the General Counsel;
• performs the functions required or authorized by law;
• provides legal and policy advice to the Secretary of the Navy on military justice, administrative law, claims, operational and international law, and litigation involving these issues, and;
• acts on other matters as directed by the Secretary of the Navy.

The principal deputy to the JAG is the Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy who is dual-hatted as Commander, Naval Legal Service Command (NLSC).

Nomination and appointment

The Judge Advocate General is nominated for appointment by the President with the advice and/or suggestion of the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy, and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. The Judge Advocate General is appointed to a four-year term of office but they historically serve for three. The Judge Advocate General has also historically been a naval officer, however, statute states that a Marine officer can be appointed to the position as long as they meet the requirements stated in the section.[2]

Previously, the Judge Advocate General was appointed as a two-star rear admiral. In 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 advanced the position of the Judge Advocate General to a statutory three-star vice admiral or lieutenant general.[4][5] The statutory three-star rank was amended and struck from U.S. law in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017,[6][7] however the Navy currently still appoints the JAG to that rank.

Other than age and years of military service, there is no other statute of limitations on how many times the JAG can be renominated for appointment to that position if the President so chooses, however the JAG normally serves one term.

List of Judge Advocates General of the Navy

	Name	Photo	Branch	Term began	Term ended
1.	Col William Butler Remey		USMC	1880	1892
2.	CAPT Samuel Conrad Lemly		USN	1892	1904
3.	CAPT Samuel Willauer Black Diehl		USN	1904	1907
4.	CAPT Edward Hale Campbell		USN	1907	1909
5.	CAPT Robert Lee Rusell		USN	1909	1913
6.	CAPT Ridley McLean		USN	1913	1916
7.	CAPT William Carleton Watts		USN	1917	1918
8.	RADM George Ramsey Clark		USN	1918	1921
9.	RADM Julian Lane Latimer		USN	1921	1925
10.	RADM Edward Hale Campbell		USN	1925	1929
11.	RADM David F. Sellers		USN	1929	1931
12.	RADM Orin Gould Murfin		USN	1931	1934
13.	RADM Claude C. Bloch		USN	1934	1936
14.	RADM Gilbert Jonathan Rowcliff		USN	1936	1938
15.	RADM Walter Browne Woodson		USN	1938	1943
16.	RADM Thomas Leigh Gatch		USN	1943	1945
17.	RADM Oswald Symister Colclough		USN	1945	1948
18.	RADM George Lucius Russell		USN	1948	1952
19.	RADM Ira Hudson Nunn		USN	1952	1956
20.	RADM Chester Charles Ward		USN	1956	1960
21.	RADM William Chamberlain Mott		USN	1960	1964
22.	RADM Wilfred Asquith Hearn		USN	1964	1968
23.	RADM Joseph Bryan McDevitt		USN	1968	1972
24.	RADM Merlin Howard Staring		USN	1972	1975
25.	RADM Horace Bascomb Robertson, Jr.		USN	1975	1976
26.	RADM William Owen Miller		USN	1976	1978
27.	RADM Charles Eager McDowell		USN	1978	1980
28.	RADM John Smith Jenkins		USN	1980	1982
29.	RADM James Joseph McHugh		USN	1982	1984
30.	RADM Thomas Edward Flynn		USN	1984	1986
31.	RADM Hugh Don Campbell		USN	1986	1988
32.	RADM Everett Don Stumbaugh		USN	1988	1990
33.	RADM John Edward Gordon		USN	1990	1992
34.	RADM William Leon Schachte, Jr.		USN	1992	1993
35.	RADM Harold Eric Grant		USN	1993	1997
36.	RADM John Dudley Hutson		USN	1997	2000
37.	RADM Donald J. Guter		USN	2000	2002
38.	RADM Michael F. Lohr		USN	2002	2004
39.	RADM James E. McPherson		USN	2004	2006
40.	VADM Bruce E. MacDonald		USN	2006	2009
41.	VADM James W. Houck		USN	August 14, 2009	July 20, 2012
42.	VADM Nanette M. DeRenzi		USN	July 20, 2012	June 26, 2015
43.	VADM James W. Crawford, III		USN	June 26, 2015	September 12, 2018
44.	VADM John G. Hannink		USN	September 12, 2018	Incumbent

See also

• U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division
• Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeal
• Naval Inspector General
• JAG (television series)
• U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps
• U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps
• U.S. Coast Guard Legal Division

Notes

1. "U.S. Navy JAG Corps | the Official blog of the U.S. Navy JAG Corps".
2. Archived 2009-04-30 at the Wayback Machine 10 USC 5148. Judge Advocate General’s Corps: Office of the Judge Advocate General; Judge Advocate General; appointment, term, emoluments, duties.
3. United States Naval Regulations, Sections 0330 & 0331, Accessed on 2011-03-24.
4. Pub.L. 110-181: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
5. Pub.L. 110-181: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 full text
6. Pub.L. 114-328: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017
7. Pub.L. 114-328: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 full text

External links

• U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps official website