WASHINGTON — Rear Adm. Joseph Cahill, currently the commander of Naval Surface Forces Atlantic (SURFLANT), has been nominated to serve as the Navy’s top surface warfare officer, the Pentagon announced today.
Cahill, who graduated from the University of Maine in 1992, took command of SURFLANT in June 2023 after serving as the commander of Carrier Strike Group 15. Cahill’s previous assignments include commanding the Cyclone-class patrol ship Monsoon and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Preble.
If confirmed by the Senate, Cahill will gain a third star and will relieve the Navy’s current top surface warfare officer, Vice Adm. Brendan McLane. McLane became the commander of naval surface forces, a job known as “SWO boss,” in December 2023 after previously leading SURFLANT.
McLane, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1990, also previously led Navy Recruiting Command and Carrier Strike Group 10. Previous assignments include serving as commodore of Destroyer Squadron 50 and the chief of staff for Naval Surface Force Pacific Fleet.
The Defense Department today also announced Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley has been nominated to lead Air Mobility Command, which provides airlift for the US military around the world.
Tulley, a former tanker pilot who joined the Air Force in the early 1990s, currently serves as the commander and president of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, according to his official biography. He previously served as the director of operations at US Transportation Command and on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon.
Tulley is in line to take the reins at AMC after Gen. John Lamontagne departed in February to become the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff. After Lamontagne’s exit, the position of AMC chief was downgraded from a four-star slot to three-star, reflecting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push for rank reductions in senior positions department-wide. AMC is currently helmed by Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, the command’s deputy.
Cahill and Tulley’s nominations were communicated to lawmakers last week, along with other officers including Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess, tapped to be the third-ever leader of the Space Force.
