Director of Naval Communications was a post on the staff of the United States Navy's Chief of Naval Operations responsible for organizing, administering and operating the Naval Communications Service. In Navy parlance, this was Op-20. Created in 1916, the position replaced that of the Superintendent of the Naval Radio Service, created in 1912. The position, and the responsibilities, evolved steadily over the next several generations.

Directors of Naval Communications, 1912-1950

• 1912-1916 Capt. William H.G. Bullard [previously Superintendent of the Naval Radio Service]
• 1916-1919 Capt. David W. Todd
• 1919-1921 Rear Admiral W.H.G. Bullard
• 1921 Rear Admiral Marbury Johnston
• 1921-1922 Capt. Samuel W. Bryant
  Samuel W. Bryant
  Samuel Wood Bryant was an admiral in the United States Navy.-Biography:Bryant was born in Washington, Pennsylvania on May 24, 1877 and attended Bryant School and Pittsburgh Academy before receiving an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in May 1893...
  
   (acting)
• 1922-1923 Rear Admiral Henry J. Ziegemeier
• 1923 Commander Donald C. Bingham
• 1923-1924 Capt. Orton P. Jackson
• 1924-1926 Capt. Ridley McLean
  Ridley McLean
  Rear Admiral Ridley McLean, USN was a two-star Admiral in the United States Navy. He was a Naval Academy graduate, the original author of the Navy's Bluejacket's Manual, and Judge Advocate General...
  
  
• 1927-1928 Rear Admiral Thomas T. Craven
• 1928-1935 Capt. Stanford C. Hooper
• 1935-1936 Rear Admiral Gilbert Jonathan Rowcliff
  Gilbert Jonathan Rowcliff
  Rear Admiral Gilbert Jonathan Rowcliff was an officer of the United States Navy during the First World War and the Second World War. After early service in the Far East he specialised in gunnery, serving in that capacity on many US Navy capital ships...
  
  
• 1936-1939 Rear Admiral Charles E. Courtney
  Charles E. Courtney
  Charles Edward Courtney was an American rower and rowing coach from Union Springs, New York. A carpenter by trade, Courtney was a nationally known amateur rower. Courtney never lost a race as an amateur and finished a total of 88 victories.In 1877, he moved from an amateur to a professional rower,...
  
  
• 1939-February 1942 Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes
• February-September 1942 Capt. Joseph R. Redman
  Joseph Redman
  Joseph Reasor Redman was an admiral in the United States Navy. A naval communications officer, he played key roles in signals intelligence during World War II in Washington, D.C.- Biography :...
  
  
• September 1942-April 1943 Capt. Carl Frederick Holden
  Carl Frederick Holden
  Carl Frederick Holden was an officer of the United States Navy who retired with the rank of Vice Admiral.Born in Bangor, Maine, Holden graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1917. He saw service in World War I on destroyers based in Queenstown, Ireland. Lieutenant Commander...
  
  
• April 1943-August 1945 Rear Admiral Joseph R. Redman
  Joseph Redman
  Joseph Reasor Redman was an admiral in the United States Navy. A naval communications officer, he played key roles in signals intelligence during World War II in Washington, D.C.- Biography :...
  
  
• 1946-1949 Rear Admiral Earl E. Stone
  Earl E. Stone
  Earl E. Stone was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.-Career:Stone was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Class of 1918. Later, Stone would be sailing aboard the USS Ohio when it and two other dreadnoughts became the first to sail through the Panama Canal...
  
  
• 1949-1951 Rear Admiral John R. Redman
  John R. Redman
  John "Jack" Roland Redman was an admiral in the United States Navy. A naval communications officer, he played key roles in signals intelligence during World War II in Washington, D.C., and on the staff of Admiral Chester W...
  
  
• 1951-1952 Captain Wilfred B. Goulett

Evolution of Naval Communications after 1950

The Naval Communications Service was created as a subset of the Naval Communications System on 29 August 1950 by the Chief of Naval Operations, with the Director of Naval Communications overseeing this from Washington, D.C.In 1959, as a result of the Committee on the Organization of the Department of the Navy (known as the Franke Report), the title of the Director of Naval Communications became the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (Communications)/Director Naval Communications. After the reorganization of OPNAV in 1966-67 following the Benson report, the incumbent was simultaneously a member of the Chief of Naval Operations' own staff and in charge of a new independent command, the Naval Communications Command.

Directors of Naval Communications, 1950-1971

• Rear Admiral Henry C. Bruton
  Henry C. Bruton
  Henry C. Bruton was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.-Biography:Bruton was born Henry Chester Bruton in Belleville, Arkansas. He died from cancer on August 15, 1992 in Chevy Chase, Maryland.-Career:...
  
   (dates unclear)
• 1965-1968 Rear Admiral Robert H. Weeks
• 1968 (Mar-July) Captain Robert H. White
• 1968-1971 Rear Admiral Francis J. Fitzpatrick

Evolution of Naval Communications after 1971

In 1971, Naval Communications Command was subordinated to a new OP-94 entity, the Director, Command Support Programs (OP-94) in March 1971, with naval communications becoming a new entity, OP-941 underneath. On 1 June 1973, the command was redesignated the Naval Telecommunications Command.

In December 1990, this was redesignated the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Command.

In 2002, this combined with several other U.S. Navy elements to form the new Naval Network Warfare Command

Naval Network Warfare Command

Naval Network Warfare Command is the US Navy's information operations, intelligence, networks and space unit. NETWARCOM is charged with operating a secure naval network that enables information operations...

, which in 2010 joined with several other elements to be a part of Fleet Cyber Command/United States Tenth Fleet, a component of United States Cyber Command

United States Cyber Command

United States Cyber Command is an armed forces sub-unified command subordinate to United States Strategic Command. The command is located in Fort Meade, Maryland and led by General Keith B. Alexander. USCYBERCOM centralizes command of cyberspace operations, organizes existing cyber resources and...

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Directors of Naval Communications since 1973

• 1971-1973 Rear Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr.
• 1973-1975 Rear Admiral Jon L. Boyes

• 1977-1980 Rear Admiral Clyde R. Bell