During World War II, the United States Navy was organized to provide a clear division of responsibility for fighting the war with its ships and aircraft, and supporting these ships and aircraft, which also defined how the WAVES fit into the naval establishment. The major components of the Navy consisted of the Navy Operating Forces (the actual ships and combat aircraft) and the Navy Shore Establishment (the land-based support network for seagoing naval units) -- the latter being supplemented by WAVES. At the highest level, a third component existed to provide support to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Ernest J. King, in his exercise of command authority throughout the Navy. This component was comprised of various offices, bureaus and boards, in which WAVES played a critical role.
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Navy Department Bureaus, Offices and Boards existed directly under Admiral Ernest J. King, the Chief of Naval Operations, to facilitate his direct management and technical control regarding the performance of duties throughout the Navy. WAVES filled important positions within most of these high-echelon elements. The bureaus, offices and boards maintained three types of control so that Admiral King could fulfill his numerous responsibilities.
 

The operating forces of the Navy consisted of its main battle fleets; the Pacific Fleet (formerly the United States Fleet) to protect the Western United States and fight the naval war against Japan, and the Atlantic Fleet to protect the Eastern United States and fight the naval war against Germany. Early in the war, the Navy also had an Asiatic Fleet deployed in the Far East.  Numbered fleets included the Third Fleet, Fourth Fleet, Fifth Fleet, Seventh Fleet, Eighth Fleet, Tenth Fleet and Twelfth Fleet.

Fleets contained ships and aircraft needed to control the sea, patrol sea-lanes and dominate geographic areas by destroying opposing warships and enemy seaborne threats. Thus, the composition of all Navy fleets included the necessary commands required to fulfill assigned missions. These commands were organized by type such as amphibious, fleet marine, air, battleship and cruisers, destroyer, destroyer escort, mine, submarine, service forces, and training commands.

The most important fleet component was a naval force. A naval force was a grouping of naval units of the right type and in adequate numbers, assembled for the accomplishment of a given task. Thanks to the huge industrial and shipbuilding power of America, the Navy was usually able to deploy plentiful numbers of vessels wherever required, with the exception of certain cases during the earliest part of the war (before sufficient ships were built and manned). 

The specific assemblage of any naval force was determined by the warships best suited to carry out the mission at hand. For example, a Fast Carrier Force contained aircraft carriers with supporting surface vessels (like destroyers to protect the carriers from enemy submarines); a Gunfire & Covering Force was built around battleships and heavy cruisers (to bombard enemy islands before assault), and an Amphibious Support Force contained a mix of warships (to support landing of troops from the sea upon hostile shores). There were also specialized naval forces such as mine flotillas (mostly minesweepers) and so forth  A naval force was in turn formed by named or numbered groups, which were further subdivided into units (the smallest unit being a single ship).  The concept of naval forces permitted great flexibility and efficiency, because ships could be rapidly transferred between forces as circumstances changed or tactical opportunities arose.

It is important to note that, within this concept, naval aviation was not considered a separate force, but integrated completely into the naval force served. Thus, naval aviation had no separate operational organization, and aircraft were assigned to naval forces as needed  This was quite different than the Army use of its Army Air Force, which operated apart from the Army Ground Forces and Army Service Forces. 
 
 

The Navy Shore Establishment existed to perform the work required to sustain the operating forces (i.e., the naval fleets and naval forces) at sea. This included all the heavy duty such as outfitting and maintaining ships, provisioning and fueling ships, and cleaning and repairing the ships. The Naval Shore Establishment accomplished everything from assigning sailors to ships to treating the wounded and injured sailors brought back from damaged ships. The WAVES were an integral part of the Shore Establishment.

The Shore Establishment’s field activities furnished logistical support to the Navy’s operating forces by providing material, personnel, and services in seven areas that WAVES served. The field activities were located at critical wartime points within the Continental and territorial United States. The principle types of Shore Establishment field activities were: