On April 6, 2011, McRaven was nominated by President Barack Obama for appointment to the rank of admiral and as the ninth Commander of USSOCOM, of which JSOC is a component.
Bil je poveljnik na vseh ravneh specialnih sil; med drugim je tako bil namestnik poveljnika JSOC za operacije, poveljnik Naval Special Warfare Group 1, poveljnik SEAL Team 3, poveljnik bojne skupine v CENTCOM, poveljnik bojne skupine med zalivsko vojno, poveljnik eskadrilje v sestavi Naval Special Warfare Development Group in poveljnik voda SEAL v sestavi Underwater Demolition Team 21/SEAL Team 4.