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Congressman tries to rename Navy department

A North Carolina congressman has introduced a bill to add the Marine Corps’ name to the Department of Navy.

Republican Walter B. Jones has asked Congress since 2001 to change the department’s name to the “Department of Navy and Marine Corps,” thus giving the Corps “the recognition it deserves as one of the official branches of the military,” according a release from Jones’ office in Washington.

“There isn’t a subordinate relationship between the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps,” Jones said in the release. “They are equivalent parts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and it is time to recognize their equal status.

The legislation does not seek to change secretary’s responsibilities, reallocate resources or otherwise alter either service’s missions, he said. “Rather, it is about showing the nation the true meaning of the department and recognizing the overall importance of the Marine Corps to our national security.”

The bill, HR 24, was introduced Wednesday.