I could not agree with you more.  Admiral Aucoin had a stellar career in the Navy, but he did not get his feet wet because almost all of his time was spent in the air.  However, such appointments were not unusual during the past few years.  Some notable examples:  A NURSE was appointed Commander of the US Army Medical Command and Surgeon General of the Army in Dec 2011; She was replaced by another NURSE in December 2015.  There were plenty of qualified SURGEONS, but they were MEN.  In May 2016, an admiral with limited sea experience was appointed Commander of the 6th Fleet.  The sea experience was mostly in amphibious landing ships, but the appointee did spend a lot of time around the top brass at the Pentagon.  Oh, I forgot to say the appointee was female and black. Also in May 2016, a non-aviator was appointed Commander of the US Northern Command and NORAD.  Social experiments?  Political correctness?