Trump nominates Skillman as vice chief of naval operations
President Donald Trump has nominated Vice Adm. John “Brad” Skillman to serve as the Navy’s second-highest-ranking officer and become a four-star admiral.
Skillman’s nomination as vice chief of naval operations was submitted to the Senate on Tuesday, according to a congressional notice. A Navy official confirmed that the nomination has been transmitted to the Hill.
If confirmed by the Senate, Skillman would take on the Navy vice chief role as the sea service pursues a wide-ranging modernization agenda, including robotic and autonomous systems, Collaborative Combat Aircraft, a next-generation manned fighter jet known as F/A-XX, AI and data, information technology and communications networks.
He currently serves as deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources, N8, at the Pentagon.
Skillman is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who rose through the ranks of the service’s surface warfare officer community.
According to his official Navy bio, his sea duty assignments included USS Josephus Daniels, USS Belleau Wood, USS Nashville, USS Gunston Hall, Amphibious Squadron 8 and Amphibious Squadron 4.
He also served as commissioning commanding officer of USS New Orleans and commanded USS Ponce (LPD 15) and USS San Antonio (LPD 17).
“Ashore, Skillman served as the lead ship maintenance action officer for the Maintenance and Modernization Division (N43) and as the Sea Shield and Surface Warfare Program analyst for the Director of Integration and Warfare Assessment (N70) on the staff of the chief of naval operations. He was the military assistant and director of operations for the deputy director, Naval Warfare in Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics), Portfolio Systems Acquisition and served as the executive assistant and naval aide to the assistant secretary of the Navy (Financial Management & Comptroller),” per his bio.
As a flag officer, he previously served as chief of staff for the NATO Joint Warfare Centre; commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2; director of enterprise support, Chief of Naval Personnel; and director of the programming division, N80, in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
If confirmed, Skillman would succeed Adm. James Kilby as vice CNO, a position that Kilby has held since January 2024.
