Commander , U . S . Fleet Forces Command Commander , U . S . Fleet Forces Command ( COMFLTFORCOM ) , is the title of the United States Navy officer who serves as the commanding officer of the United States Fleet Forces Command . The U . S . Fleet Forces Command was originally established in 1905 as the U . S . Atlantic Fleet and as a two - star rear admiral ' s billet ; the position has been held by a four - star admiral since March 10 , 1915 . The 32nd and current , commander of U . S . Fleet Forces Command is Admiral William E . Gortney . Title ' s history . The first Commander - in - Chief of the Atlantic Fleet was Rear Admiral Robley D . Evans , who assumed command on January 1 , 1906 aboard his flagship the battleship . The title , Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Fleet , was continuously used from 1906 until 1923 and again from 1941 to 2002 . In a reorganization of the United States Fleet in 1923 , that title was abolished and the title Commander Scouting Force was used . On February 1 , 1941 , General Order 143 reestablished the title and reorganized the United States Fleet into three separate fleets : the U . S . Atlantic Fleet , the U . S . Pacific Fleet and the U . S . Asiatic Fleet . The order further stated each fleet would be under the command of a four - star admiral . Thus , on February 1 , 1941 , Rear Admiral Ernest J . King , in his flagship at Culebra , Puerto Rico , hauled down his two - star flag and hoisted his four - star flag as Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Fleet . After the end of World War II , the organization of the United States armed forces was reviewed with a view toward reorganization after the turbulent war years . On December 1 , 1947 , under a reorganization act of the armed forces approved by Congress , the unified combatant command , United States Atlantic Command , was established with headquarters co - located to those of the U . S . Atlantic Fleet . Admiral William H . P . Blandy was given the dual - hatted command of both U . S . Atlantic Fleet and U . S . Atlantic Command thus becoming the Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Fleet and the first Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Command . The two titles remained linked until another reorganization of the armed forces , via the Goldwater - Nichols Act in 1985 , separated the U . S . Atlantic Command from the U . S . Atlantic Fleet . In the early 1950s , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) decided to establish a new major command , Allied Command Atlantic , under the command of a U . S . four - star admiral with headquarters in Norfolk , VA . Since this was primarily a naval command responsible for allied defense of the North Atlantic , the decision was made to co - locate this organization with that of the U . S . Atlantic Command and U . S . Atlantic Fleet , to form a triple - hatted command . On April 10 , 1952 , Admiral Lynde D . McCormick , the Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Command and U . S . Atlantic Fleet , assumed the additional title as the first Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic . Like the U . S . Atlantic Command , the Allied Command Atlantic remained intact and part of a triple - hatted command organization until the Goldwater - Nichols Act occurred in 1985 . The Goldwater - Nichols Act separated command of the U . S . Atlantic Fleet from the other two commands giving the U . S . Atlantic Fleet its own four - star admiral . Admiral Wesley L . McDonald was the last U . S . Navy admiral to command all three organizations at the same time . He relinquished command of the U . S . Atlantic Fleet to Admiral Carlisle A . H . Trost on October 4 , 1985 . However , under the Goldwater - Nichols Act , the admiral filling the post of Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Fleet , would also serve as the Deputy Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Command . This role for CINCLANTFLT continued until 1986 when the Secretary of Defense approved a separate billet for the Deputy Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Command . On September 16 , 1986 , Admiral Frank B . Kelso II relinquished the Deputy USCINCLANT post to Major General Thomas G . Darling , USAF . On October 1 , 2001 , the Chief of Naval Operations designated the CINCLANTFLT to concurrently serve as Commander , U . S . Fleet Forces Command . U . S . Fleet Forces Command became responsible for overall coordination , establishment , and implementation of integrated requirements and policies for manning , equipping , and training Atlantic and Pacific Fleet units during the inter - deployment training cycle . On October 24 , 2002 , Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed that the title of " Commander - in - Chief " be reserved solely for the President of the United States . In a message to Naval Commanders - in - Chief , the Chief of Naval Operations directed a change of title to that of " Commander . " This change affected the U . S . Atlantic Fleet , U . S . Pacific Fleet , and U . S . Naval Forces Europe thus renaming Commander - in - Chief , U . S . Atlantic Fleet to Commander , U . S . Atlantic Fleet . On May 23 , 2006 , the Chief of Naval Operations ordered the assimilation of U . S . Atlantic Fleet into U . S . Fleet Forces Command and that the dual - hatted position be integrated to its current title of Commander , U . S . Fleet Forces Command . On October 31 , 2006 , a ceremony was held to officially mark the transition of the U . S . Atlantic Fleet and U . S . Fleet Forces Command to just U . S . Fleet Forces Command . Three of the 37 previous admirals who held the top post in the Atlantic fleet attended the ceremony , which was held aboard the aircraft carrier . Appointment . The Commander , U . S . Fleet Forces Command is nominated by the President for appointment from any eligible officers holding the rank of rear admiral ( lower half ) or above , who also meets the requirements for the position , under the advice and / or recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy , the Chief of Naval Operations , and if applicable the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate . For the Navy , flag officer tours are usually limited to two - years .