| Surgeon General of the United States Navy | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery | |
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| Bureau of Medicine and Surgery United States Navy Medical Corps | |
| Type | Head of the medical branch of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps |
| Abbreviation | SGN |
| Member of | Office of the Chief of Naval Operations |
| Reports to | Secretary of the Navy Chief of Naval Operations Director, Defense Health Agency |
| Residence | Suite 5113, 7700 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church, Virginia |
| Seat | Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Virginia |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 8077 |
| Formation | 1869 |
| First holder | William Maxwell Wood |
| Deputy | Deputy Surgeon General of the Navy/Deputy Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (Navy matters) Chief, Medical Corps/Medical Officer of the Marine Corps (Marine matters) |
| Website | Official website |
The surgeon general of the Navy (SGN) is the most senior commissioned officer of the Medical Corps of the United States Navy and is the principal advisor to the United States Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Naval Operations and director of the Defense Health Agency on all health and medical matters pertaining to the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. As head of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, the surgeon general also manages Navy and Marine healthcare policy, administering the services' healthcare and biomedical research facilities as well as the various staff corps of BUMED, including the Medical Corps and an enlisted corps. The surgeon general is also a member of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
From 1965 to 2019, the surgeon general was appointed as a three-star vice admiral, until the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 struck the surgeon general's statutory rank.[1] The House's version of the 2023 NDAA considered advancing the surgeon general's rank back to vice admiral.[2] However, the final version of the act did not include reinstating it.[3] The House's version of the 2024 NDAA once again included a provision to advance the surgeon general's rank back to vice admiral,[4] but the final version did not include it. However the 2024 NDAA's attached house report (H. Rept. 118-301), acknowledges that the Navy does have the authority to allow the surgeon general to be designated a three-star rank, if an officer is nominated for appointment and confirmed. The House of Representatives once again inserted the clause in the upcoming 2025 NDAA.
- ^ McCain, John (23 December 2016). "S.2943 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ Smith, Adam (14 July 2022). "H.R.7900 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ DeFazio, Peter A. (15 December 2022). "H.R.7776 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Rogers, Mike D. (30 June 2023). "H.R.2670 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 17 July 2023.