Adm. Gary Roughead, the former head of U.S. Pacific Fleet headquartered at Pearl Harbor, has been nominated by the president to be head of the Navy as chief of naval operations.

"I am honored to be nominated as the 29th chief of naval operations and I look forward to the confirmation process," Roughead said in a written statement.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the announcement yesterday. Roughead, who commanded U.S. Pacific Fleet from 2005 until May 2007, would replace Adm. Mike Mullen, who was nominated to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday recommended approval of Mullen for the new job.

Roughead now heads U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The Navy has more than 340,000 active-duty personnel and more than 270 ships.

As the top naval commander in the Pacific, Roughead made training sailors to hunt enemy submarines his top war-fighting priority.

He spearheaded the humanitarian deployment of the hospital ship USNS Mercy to the southern Philippines and tsunami-devastated areas of Indonesia. The ship's mission came as the U.S. military has pushed to improve its image in predominantly Muslim nations and regions.

Roughead also worked with Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia to support their efforts to police the Malacca Strait.

The Fleet Forces Command is tasked with training and equipping sailors. It also keeps the CNO, the Navy's top uniformed officer, informed of the Navy's war-fighting and readiness.