--- title: "Navy names new top enlisted leader sailor" description: "John Perryman will take over for Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea, who announced his retirement in July." date: "2025-08-16" modified: "2025-08-16" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-top-enlisted-sailor-john-perryman/" categories: - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" --- # Navy names new top enlisted leader sailor ![John Perryman in full dress uniform.]() *Fleet Master Chief John Perryman. U.S. Navy photo.* Fleet Master Chief John Perryman will be the Navy’s 17th Master Chief Petty Officer starting this fall, the Navy announced Friday afternoon. Perryman is currently serving as the top enlisted sailor for U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Soon he'll be in that capacity for the entire Navy. He’ll take over the role for James Honea, who will retire from military service on Sept. 12 after several decades in uniform. “With decades of operational experience across the fleet, Perryman will play a vital role in advising Navy leadership, shaping enlisted policy, and maintaining warfighting readiness in an era of strategic competition,” the Navy’s [statement]() said. Honea served as the 16th Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy since September 2022. In July, he announced he would be retiring from the Navy after 38 years, saying that it was “a profound privilege and honor to serve as your MCPON.” The position was first created in 1967 and the person in the role serves as an advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations on issues affecting enlisted sailors. Honea will step down from the role of Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy in September in a change of command ceremony at the Naval Memorial in Washington, D.C., according to the Navy. Honea’s replacement, Perryman, is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and joined the Navy in 1994. He is a submariner, having trained as an electronics technician and serving in that capacity aboard several submarines, including fast attack subs the USS Bremerton and USS Cheyenne. He also worked for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. He has served in several senior enlisted roles, advising commanders of Submarine Group Seven, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet and Submarine Force Atlantic. In 2020, Perryman was named Command Senior Enlisted Leader for United States Strategic Command, which oversees the military’s nuclear arsenal and the forces that operate and maintain them. In his current role at U.S. Fleet Forces Command, he is the top enlisted sailor for a massive part of the Navy, with more than 100,000 personnel and 120 vessels — surface and submersible — under its authority. Perryman's appointment means he’ll be reunited with Adm. Daryl Caudle, who was [confirmed]() by Congress as the new Chief of Naval Operations in July 31. Caudle, another former submariner, had served as commander of U.S. Fleet Forces from 2021 until this summer, working alongside Perryman. Caudle took over the role after it sat vacant for several months following the dismissal of Adm. Lisa Franchetti. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()