The Rise of the Admirals as Cocom Commanders

Admiral Eric Olson assumed command of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), becoming the fourth Navy Admiral to be placed in charge of five "warfighting" COCOMs: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), and U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). With these recent appointments the Navy has risen to command a preponderance of senior military leadership positions. Is this coincidence or "just the Navy's turn" in these leadership positions? Could one possible reason be that the Navy adapted to the current situation and the Bush administration's desire to "transform" the military better than her sister services? Could the ascendance of these officers' be explained by other reasons based on job experience or other political factors? What can explain the 'rise of the Admirals?' Until recently, command of regional COCOMs appeared to be determined by either the service that provided the bulk of capability, either in peacetime, or in recent operations, or by the nature of the domain, be it primarily maritime, land, or mixed in nature -- with few (explainable) exceptions. But recently, this trend has changed.