Navy Civilianizes Six Former Flag Billets, Reduces Six to Captains

The Navy converted six positions formerly assigned to flag officers into civilian posts. A billet is an authorized job in an organization, so this change affects who occupies the job and what kind of authority comes with it. The move follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s call for “less generals, more GIs.”

The six positions are part of a broader review of 14 flag-officer billets. The Navy decided that billets in the group would be civilianized, merged with another position, or downgraded to the rank of Navy captain. One example is Director, Navy staff, N09B, in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. That post is held by civilian Matthew Swartz.

The article indicates that nearly all of the newly civilian positions are filled by appointees or people serving in an acting capacity. The change therefore shifts selected roles away from uniformed flag officers, while leaving the Navy to manage the remaining billets through mergers or lower military rank.

A military billet is an approved position within a service or command. It defines a job’s duties, place in the organization, and expected level of responsibility. A billet can be occupied by a particular person, but the billet itself remains part of the organization even when personnel change.

A flag-officer billet is designated for a flag officer, meaning a senior military leader at admiral or general rank. In the Navy, flag officers are admirals. The designation usually signals broad leadership responsibility, such as directing a major staff, command, or enterprise. The article identifies 14 billets that were held by Navy flag officers and then reviewed.

The Navy’s changes show that a billet’s classification can be revised. Six were converted to civilian posts, some were merged, and some were downgraded to Navy captain. Those decisions change the required status of the person filling the job, even if the organization still needs similar work performed.

The Navy reviewed 14 billets held by flag officers. Every billet in that group was assigned one of three possible outcomes: conversion to a civilian position, merger with another position, or downgrade to a Navy captain. The review therefore covered the entire group, not just the six posts that became civilian.

The clearest figure is six. Those six billets were changed from flag-officer jobs into civilian posts. The remaining reviewed billets were either combined with other positions or changed so that a Navy captain, rather than a flag officer, would fill them. The source does not give a separate count for the merged and downgraded groups.

This distinction matters because “14” is the total number reviewed, while “six” is the number civilianized. The article presents the changes as part of the Navy’s effort to follow Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s call for “less generals, more GIs.”

The article says nearly all of the newly civilian Navy positions are filled by appointees or people acting in that capacity. That means the Navy is relying mainly on civilians selected for the roles, including temporary occupants who are performing the duties while a permanent appointment is unresolved or pending.

An appointee is chosen for a position through an appointment process. Someone serving in an acting capacity temporarily carries out the responsibilities of that office. The person may exercise the authority assigned to the role for the period of service, but acting service does not necessarily mean permanent appointment to the billet.

The article gives a concrete example: Matthew Swartz, a civilian, currently holds Director, Navy staff, N09B, in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. It does not identify every person filling the six positions or explain how long any acting assignments will last.

A Navy captain is a commissioned officer rank below the flag-officer ranks. In the Navy, flag officers are admirals, beginning at rear admiral and extending to higher admiral grades. Rank matters because it sets an officer’s position in the military hierarchy and affects which commands or duties the officer may hold.

A Navy captain can lead important units, staffs, or commands, but a flag officer generally occupies a higher level of authority and responsibility. A flag officer may direct larger organizations or oversee senior-level policy and operations. The exact duties depend on the billet, so rank alone does not describe every responsibility attached to a job.

The Navy’s review would therefore reduce the designated rank for some positions without necessarily eliminating the work. Those billets could still require experienced leadership, but the position would be assigned to a captain rather than an admiral. The article does not identify which billets received that downgrade.

A billet’s classification helps define its place in an organization. If the Navy merges two billets, one position may absorb the other’s duties, reducing separate reporting lines. If it civilianizes a billet, the job no longer requires a uniformed flag officer. If it downgrades the billet, a Navy captain becomes the designated military occupant instead.

The practical mechanism is organizational design. A merged position can consolidate responsibilities under one leader. A civilian position places the work under a civilian official rather than a military commander. A downgraded position preserves a military role but assigns it to a lower rank. These changes can affect decision-making, supervision, and access to senior command channels.

The article confirms the categories of change but does not describe specific new reporting lines. It identifies Director, Navy staff, N09B, as a civilian-held position and says the Navy reviewed 14 billets. The future effect will depend on how each revised billet is structured and filled.

Civilian control of the military means elected or appointed civilian leaders direct national defense policy and oversee the armed services. The military chain of command then transmits lawful orders through uniformed leaders, who organize forces and conduct missions. These systems work together rather than compete: civilians provide democratic oversight and priorities, while military professionals manage military execution.

A civilian official in a Navy billet can handle the responsibilities assigned to that position without becoming a military commander. Uniformed commanders still retain authority within the military chain of command unless the organization’s structure specifically changes. The article’s example is Director, Navy staff, N09B, in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, currently held by civilian Matthew Swartz.

The Navy’s six civilian conversions may increase the number of senior organizational roles held by civilians. The article does not explain each reporting relationship, so it does not establish how command chains will change. It does show the broader policy direction associated with Hegseth’s call for “less generals, more GIs.”