Executive Order 12879: Order of Succession of Officers To Act as Secretary of the Navy
President: Bill Clinton
Set the order for specified Navy officials to act temporarily as Secretary; current U.S. Code notes continue to list EO 12879.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 12879 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 12879 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 12879 do?
EO 12879 set an acting sequence for the Secretary of the Navy: Under Secretary; Assistant Secretaries and General Counsel by length of service; Chief of Naval Operations; and Commandant of the Marine Corps. It distinguished a vacancy or permanent disability from temporary absence, barred an official serving only in an acting capacity from advancing through the order, and preserved the temporary successor’s underlying office. Current U.S. Code materials continue to list EO 12879 for Navy succession.
Before and after
Before the order
Statutory succession provisions applied without this specific presidential ordering of eligible Navy officers.
After the order
The named officers could act in the stated sequence, subject to statutory eligibility and presidential authority.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible Navy officers | Act as Secretary in the stated order | During a covered vacancy, absence or disability |
| Secretary of the Navy | Set precedence for officials with the same appointment date | When appointments are made |
| President | Retain authority to direct an eligible acting official under law | As circumstances require |
What happened next
EO 12879 established the succession order.
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act replaced the former 5 U.S.C. § 3347 framework cited by the order.
Current U.S. Code notes continued to list EO 12879 for Navy succession.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
Acting service must be reconciled with the current Federal Vacancies Reform Act and Navy-specific statutes; EO 12879 cannot authorize service by someone ineligible under controlling law. The order supplies an executive sequence, not tenure in the permanent office.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- U.S. Code — 10 U.S.C. § 8013 notes (opens in a new tab) Official record
- U.S. Code — 5 U.S.C. § 3345 (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 14, 2026. How we research →