The Pentagon said Thursday Navy Vice Adm. Cecil E. D. Haney has been appointed to lead the Navy in the Pacific. The nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. Haney, who is currently the deputy commander of the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., has also been nominated for promotion to admiral.

Adm. Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations, said Haney is "the ideal officer" to lead the Pacific Fleet.

"Vice Adm. Cecil Haney is a brilliant, proven leader, and he will excel as the Commander, U.S Pacific Fleet if confirmed," Roughead said in a statement. "He was a trusted member of my team while I commanded the Pacific Fleet, and as the first Director of Warfare Integration on my staff in Washington. He is a keen and experienced operator and he knows the Pacific."

The Washington, D.C., native is a 1978 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Earlier in his career, he commanded the USS Honolulu nuclear-powered attack submarine and headed a submarine squadron based out of Pearl Harbor. He also served deputy chief of staff to the Pacific Fleet commander.

The Pacific Fleet includes about 180 ships and 125,000 sailors, Marines and civilians. It has bases in areas stretching from California to Hawaii, Japan, South Korea and the Indian Ocean.