Rear Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk, assistant deputy chief of naval operations for information, plans and strategy, will be the next deputy and chief of staff of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Van Buskirk, a native of Petaluma, Calif., graduated from the Naval Academy in 1979. He commanded the nuclear submarine USS Pasadena and served as commander of Submarine Development Squadron 12. He was a commander of Task Force Total Force, overseeing the initial development of the Navy's human capital strategy.

He has served on the staff of the Pacific Fleet's Submarine Force.

Before his current assignment, Van Buskirk served as commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, deploying to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility supporting combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon also announced that Capt. Gregory M. Nosal, special assistant to the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, has been nominated for his first star as a rear admiral.