Adm. Jonathan Greenert.

WASHINGTON, D.C — For four years Butler native Adm. Jonathan Greenert was the top uniformed Naval official in the nation.

As chief of naval operations, Greenhert was the principal naval adviser to the president and to the Secretary of the Navy, and was on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But that is in his past. As of Thursday he retired from that position. His replacement, Adm. John Richardson, was sworn in Friday.

In that position, Greenert controlled a $125 billion budget, about 270 ships and a force of 330,000 people.

The main goals were to organize, train and equip the Navy, and to create policies and strategies. It also included putting together a defense plan with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He alluded to his position as being like “spinning plates,” but said the plates are different and said there are more “crystal plates” that you definitely do not want to drop.

Greenert, 62, officially will be on active duty until Oct. 1. He will be using his remaining vacation time until then.

He and his wife will move out of their government-provided house — which was one of the perks of being the CNO — to a small house they own a couple of hours south of Washington in Virginia. While there, they will look for a different house closer to Washington to live in full-time.

Greenert said his main goal in retirement will be to spend more time with his family — he has three adult children and one grandson.

He also hopes to make it back to the Butler area — where three of his siblings still live — more often.