Editing Chief of Naval Operations (section)

===Benson, the first CNO (1915–1919)===
[[File:NH 56833 Admiral William S. Benson, USN.jpg|thumb|upright|Admiral [[William S. Benson]], chief of naval operations (seated), relaxes at Pruyn's Home, [[Lower Saranac Lake]], [[New York (state)|New York]], {{circa|Sept. 1918}}. With him are Commander [[Charles Belknap Jr.]] (''left''), and his aide, Commander Worral R. Carter (''right'').]]

Captain [[William S. Benson]] was promoted to the temporary rank of rear admiral and became the first CNO on 11 May 1915.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=25}} He further assumed the rank of admiral after the passage of the 1916 Naval Appropriations Bill with Fiske's amendments,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=32}} second only to [[Admiral of the Navy]] [[George Dewey]] and explicitly senior to the commanders-in-chief of the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic Fleets.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=34}}

Unlike Fiske, who had campaigned for a powerful, aggressive CNO sharing authority with the Navy secretary,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=25}} Benson demonstrated personal loyalty to Secretary Daniels and subordinated himself to civilian control, yet maintained the CNO's autonomy where necessary.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=25-26}}{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=29}} While alienating reformers like Sims and Fiske (who retired in 1916), Benson's conduct gave Daniels immense trust in his new CNO, and Benson was delegated greater resources and authority.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=29}}{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=47-48}}

====Achievements====

Among the organizational efforts initiated or recommended by Benson included an advisory council to coordinate high-level staff activities,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=31}} composed of himself, the SECNAV and the bureau chiefs which "worked out to the great satisfaction" of Daniels and Benson;{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=31}} the reestablishment of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff#Joint Board|Joint Army and Navy Board]] in 1918 with Benson as its Navy member;<ref>the final form of which was agreed by Daniels and the [[United States Secretary of War|secretary of war]], [[Newton D. Baker]]</ref>{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=31}} and the consolidation of all matters of [[naval aviation]] under the authority of the CNO.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=31}}

Benson also revamped the structure of the [[United States naval districts|naval districts]],{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=31}} transferring authority for them from SECNAV to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations under the Operations, Plans, Naval Districts division.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}} This enabled closer cooperation between naval district commanders and the uniformed leadership, who could more easily handle communications between the former and the Navy's fleet commanders.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}}

In the waning years of his tenure, Benson set regulations for officers on shore duty to have temporary assignments with the [[Structure of the United States Navy|Office of the Chief of Naval Operations]] to maintain cohesion between the higher-level staff and the fleet.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=47}}

====Establishing OPNAV====
[[File:OPNAV organizational chart (Jan. 1916).png|thumb|upright|Organization of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations as of January 1916]]
Until 1916, the CNO's office was chronically understaffed.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|loc=p. 25 "Benson had three subordinates (one captain and two lieutenants), no clerical staff, and primitive office space"}} The formal establishment of the CNO's "general staff", the [[Structure of the United States Navy|Office of the Chief of Naval Operations]] (OPNAV), originally called the Office for Operations,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}} was exacerbated by [[Eugene Hale|Eugene Hale's]] retirement from politics in 1911,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDI19100420.2.11&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1|title=Hale Soon to Retire|date=20 April 1910|publisher=Stockton Independent|website=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref> and skepticism of whether the CNO's small staff could implement President Wilson's policy of "preparedness" without violating American neutrality in World War I.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}}

By June 1916, OPNAV was organized into eight divisions: Operations, Plans, Naval Districts;{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}} Regulations;{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}} Ship Movements;{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}} Communications;{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}} Publicity;{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}} and Materiel.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}} Operations provided a link between fleet commanders and the General Board, Ship Movements coordinated the movement of Navy vessels and oversaw navy yard overhauls, Communications accounted for the Navy's developing radio network, Publicity conducted the Navy's public affairs, and the Materiel section coordinated the work of the naval bureaus.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=33}}

Numbering only 75 staffers in January 1917,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=36}} OPNAV increased in size following the [[American entry into World War I]], as it was deemed of great importance to manage the rapid mobilization of forces to fight in the war.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=44}} By war's end, OPNAV employed over 1462 people.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=45}} The CNO and OPNAV thus gained influence over Navy administration but at the expense of the Navy secretary and bureau chiefs.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=44}}

====Advisor to the president====
[[File:E. M. House LCCN2014700618 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Edward M. House]], also known as Colonel House, was a close advisor to President [[Woodrow Wilson]], who helped him elevate the CNO's stature.]]
In 1918, Benson became a military advisor to [[Edward M. House]], an advisor and confidant of President Wilson,{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=45}} joining him on a trip to Europe as the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|1918 armistice with Germany]] was signed.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=45}} His stance that the United States remain equal to Great Britain in naval power was very useful to House and Wilson, enough for Wilson to insist Benson remain in Europe until after the [[Treaty of Versailles]] was signed in July 1919.{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=45}}

====End of tenure====
Benson's tenure as CNO was slated to end on 10 May 1919, but this was delayed by the president at Secretary Daniels' insistence;{{sfn|Hone|Utz|p=46}} Benson instead retired on 25 September 1919.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/people/chiefs-of-naval-operations/admiral-william-s--benson.html|title=Admiral William S. Benson, First Chief of Naval Operations (May 11, 1915–September 25, 1919)|website=Naval History and Heritage Command}}</ref> Admiral [[Robert Coontz]] replaced Benson as CNO on 1 November 1919.