military_branch commander
The United States Fleet Forces Command ( USFLTFORCOM ) is a service component command of the ___MASK65___ that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U . S . forces . The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United States Northern Command ( USNORTHCOM ) under the authority of the Secretary of Defense . Originally formed as United States Atlantic Fleet ( USLANTFLT ) in 1906 , it has been an integral part of the defense of the United States of America for most of the 20th century . In 2002 , the Fleet comprised over 118 , 000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel serving on 186 ships and in 1 , 300 aircraft , with an area of responsibility ranging over most of the Atlantic Ocean from the North Pole to the South Pole , the Caribbean Sea , Gulf of Mexico , and the waters of the Pacific Ocean along the coasts of Central and South America ( as far west as the Galapagos Islands ). The command is based at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads in Norfolk , Virginia and is the Navy ' s service component to U . S . Northern Command and is a supporting command under the U . S . Strategic Command . Commander , Naval Surface Forces , Atlantic ( COMNAVSURFLANT ) is a post within the United States Fleet Forces Command . As Naval Surface Forces , Atlantic , it is a military formation , but the organization is often known as COMNAVSURFLANT . Its headquarters are at the Naval Station Norfolk , Norfolk , Virginia . The current commander is Rear Admiral Peter A . Gumataotao COMNAVSURFLANT supervises all surface ships based on the Eastern United States and Gulf Coast of the United States . The United States Fleet was an organization in the ___MASK65___ from 1922 until after World War II . The acronym CINCUS , pronounced " sink us ", was used for Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Fleet . This title was disposed of and officially replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 ( for " Commander - in - Chief ", U . S . Navy ). This last - named position was taken over by Admiral Ernest J . King , who in 1944 was promoted to the five - star rank of Fleet Admiral . Naval Station Norfolk , is a ___MASK65___ base in Norfolk , Virginia . It supports naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command , those operating in the Atlantic Ocean , Mediterranean Sea , and Indian Ocean . NS Norfolk , also known as the Norfolk Naval Base , occupies about four miles ( 6 km ) of waterfront space and seven miles ( 11 km ) of pier and wharf space of the Hampton Roads peninsula known as Sewell ' s Point . It is the world ' s largest naval station , supporting 75 ships and 134 aircraft alongside 14 piers and 11 aircraft hangars , and houses the largest concentration of U . S . Navy forces . Port Services controls more than 3 , 100 ships ' movements annually as they arrive and depart their berths . The ___MASK65___ ( USN ) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States . The U . S . Navy is the largest , most capable navy in the world , with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage . The U . S . Navy has the world ' s largest aircraft carrier fleet , with ten in service , two in the reserve fleet , and three new carriers under construction . The service has 323 , 792 personnel on active duty and 108 , 515 in the Navy Reserve . It has 274 deployable combat vessels and more than 3 , 700 aircraft in active service .