Prez may nominate 3-star as CNO

President Donald Trump may reach into the three-star ranks to nominate Vice Adm. Mike Gilday to be the next Chief of Naval Operations following Adm. Bill Moran's sudden retirement, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Trump met with Gilday and other Navy officials July 10, according to WSJ. The paper cited three unnamed officials in confirming the president's intended plan to nominate the career surface warfare officer. The move follows the unexpected retirement of Moran, who was confirmed by the Senate and scheduled to take over in Aug. 1. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said this week that Moran's judgment was called into question after he maintained a professional relationship with a former Navy officer who'd been accused – but never charged - of sexual harassment. Trump nominated Gilday in May to become director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Before that, he served as the head of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command. Gilday, a Naval Academy grad, holds master's degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School and National War College. Navy analysts speculated this week that the president could nominate a three-star to the CNO post. Retired Navy Capt. Jerry Hendrix, a defense analyst, named Gilday as one of three vice admirals likely to be in the running. "All of these officers have reputations for taking a fresh look at our Navy's problems," he said. Arleigh Burke was a rear admiral when President Dwight Eisenhower nominated him to be CNO. The last two Marine Corps commandants have been pulled from the three-star ranks. (Source: Military.com 07/10/19)