Editing Chief of Naval Operations (section)

====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}}