Three San Diego-based carrier strike group commanders are marked for promotions and pay raises to the highest flag officer rank during peacetime.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced Tuesday that the president has made the following nominations to rear admiral (sometimes called rear admiral upper half):
- Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) William D. Byrne Jr., commander of Carrier Strike Group 15 since October 2017.
- Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) John V. Fuller, commander of Carrier Strike Group 1 since July 2017.
- And Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Stephen T. Koehler, commander of Carrier Strike Group 9 since in June 2017.
Candidates must be approved by the U.S. Senate by majority vote before being approved for promotion upon assumption of their new duties.
Two-star flag officers generally serve for a tour of three to four years, and a variety of mandates apply to admirals’ retirement from the Navy, according to military-ranks.org.
“Two-star officers must retire after five years in-grade or 35 years of total service unless promoted,” says the site. All flag officers must retire one month after their 64th birthday,” although exceptions are possible.
According to work.chron.com, a rear admiral upper half’s pay grade of O-8 is the same as a U.S. Army major general.
“An officer in that pay grade with four years in service received $10,269.60 per month in base pay as of January 2012,” the site said. “The monthly base pay for a rear admiral upper half with 14 years in service was $11,609.10. A rear admiral upper half with 20 years in service received $12,966.60 per month in base pay.”
