[Old Teufel Hunden]

"In answer to your question:aviation, medical and suuply to name a few."

Who commands the Aircraf carriers, medical ships and supply ships? I would think that would be the path for those types. I can understand perhaps a doctor or chaplain never being in command of something, but there aren't that many Admirals that are chaplains or doctors right? Maybe one of each and they are probably in command of all the other chaplains and doctors. Being an old jarhead, to me this is the equivalent of a Marine General never being in command of any Battalions, Regiments or Divisions.

[matginzac]

We are a Navy family...30 yrs.
This guy, Kirby, is a qualified Surface Warfare Officer...see the Surface Warfare pin on his left side...but he’s a PAO specialty meaning after a tour or two as a SWO, he went PAO. He made Rear Admiral in this specialty.
We, in the Navy, consider most of these folks BS artists and getting to flag rank by being a BS artist, well, you do the math.
A lot of flag/general officers get to this rank by who they know, who’s sitting on the promotion board and which “minority status” they are in....

[buckalfa]

"Being an old jarhead, to me this is the equivalent of a Marine General never being in command of any Battalions, Regiments or Divisions."

What you wrote makes to much sense. Yet this is today's world. All too many Corporate CEO's have little or no experience in the actual operation of business's they oversee, yet they know how to make money, or as in the case of the military, they now how to please their superiors.

[mad_as_he$$]

Apparently not an easily googled question. I have met two RA’s(lower) from the Medical Corps. The Carriers are skipperd by Captain's rank and an admiral is over the teask force. However, it seems the captain air group has a lot of power on board.

[Vermont Lt]

I would imagine if you were rising in the quartermaster’s corps (or the navy equivalent) your career would be focused on logistics, not seamanship. Of course, I would not expect them to be the CNO.