Flag Officer Announcement for December 22, 2025

Pete Hegseth is a former U.S. Army National Guard officer and media commentator who, in this article’s context, is serving as the U.S. Secretary of War – the senior civilian official in charge of the Department of War (the defense department). As Secretary, he is responsible for overall leadership and policy direction of the U.S. armed forces, including overseeing military budgets, strategy, operations, and senior officer promotions. Public announcements of senior promotions and nominations, like this flag officer nomination, are routinely issued in the Secretary’s name.

In U.S. usage, a “flag officer” is a very senior military officer in pay grades O‑7 through O‑10 who is entitled to fly a personal command flag. In practice, this means:

• Navy and Coast Guard: Rear Admiral (lower half), Rear Admiral (upper half), Vice Admiral, Admiral
• Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force: Brigadier General, Major General, Lieutenant General, General These officers typically hold top command or high‑level staff positions.

For a U.S. flag officer (O‑7 to O‑10), the nomination and confirmation process generally works as follows:

1. Service selection: The officer’s service (e.g., Navy) identifies candidates, and boards and senior leaders recommend officers for promotion or certain high‑level billets.
2. Pentagon review: The Department of Defense/War and the Secretary review and forward recommended officers to the President.
3. Presidential nomination: The President formally nominates the officer for the higher rank or specific position.
4. Senate consideration: The nomination is sent to the Senate Armed Services Committee and then the full Senate. The Committee may hold hearings and then reports the nomination.
5. Senate confirmation: The Senate votes (often by unanimous consent for routine military promotions). Only after Senate confirmation can the officer assume the new rank/position. This process implements the Constitution’s requirement that the President appoint senior officers with the “advice and consent” of the Senate.

This specific nomination is for the U.S. Navy. The release states that Navy Rear Adm. Richard E. Seif Jr. is nominated for promotion to vice admiral and assignment as commander of Naval Submarine Forces and related submarine commands.

Yes. In the full Department of War/Defense release, the nominee is named as Navy Rear Admiral Richard E. Seif Jr. He is nominated for promotion to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as commander, Naval Submarine Forces / commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet / commander, Allied Submarine Command, based in Norfolk, Virginia.

The full text of the release is available on the Department of Defense/War website at this link: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4366189/flag-officer-announcement-for-december-22-2025/ Additional official details about the nomination are on Congress.gov under nomination PN725 (119th Congress), which lists Rear Adm. Richard E. Seif Jr. as the Navy nominee for vice admiral and describes the position.