Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of the Navy’s Fleet Forces Command, delivers remarks on April 5, 2025, during a commissioning ceremony for the fast-attack submarine USS Iowa in Groton, Conn. (U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — Adm. Daryl Caudle, the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, was nominated to be the next chief of naval operations for the Navy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators Wednesday.
Caudle’s nomination comes more than four months after President Donald Trump abruptly fired Lisa Franchetti as the sea service’s top admiral.
The admiral is a career submarine sailor. He assumed command of U.S. Fleet Forces, which is based at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., in December 2021. Fleet Forces Command is responsible for training and certifying naval personnel and assets to provide combat-ready forces to combatant commanders.
In the role of Fleet Force commander, Caudle championed quality-of-life initiatives for East Coast-based sailors following a cluster of suicides in the Virginia area. Caudle oversaw pilot programs that outfitted barracks with Wi-Fi and put emotional support dogs aboard aircraft carriers for deployed sailors.
A native of North Carolina, Caudle is a 1985 graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in chemical engineering. He was then commissioned after attending Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. Caudle holds advanced degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and Old Dominion University. Caudle also holds a doctorate in management in organizational leadership with a specialization in information systems and technology.
Caudle’s early sea tours included assignments as a division officer aboard the submarine USS George Washington Carver, an engineer on submarines USS Stonewall Jackson and USS Sand Lance, and an executive officer for submarine USS Montpelier.
Caudle’s first command assignment was leading submarine USS Jefferson City. He also stepped in to be the commanding officer of submarines USS Topeka and USS Helena due to “emergent losses of the normally assigned commanding officers,” according to his biography.
Caudle also served as the assistant deputy director for information and cyberspace policy on the Joint Staff in Washington and as chief of staff to the commander of the Pacific-based Submarine Force.
His decorations include the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, four Defense Superior Service medals, four Legion of Merit awards, three Meritorious Service medals, five Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medals, and four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals.
