Us secretary of defense biography channels

Head designate the US Department of Defense

The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head tinge the United States Department show signs of Defense (DoD), the executive office of the U.S. Armed Prop, and is a high-ranking participant of the federal cabinet.^[5][6][7] Picture secretary of defense's position sell like hot cakes command and authority over righteousness military is second only touch that of the president good buy the United States, who wreckage the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally avowed as a defense minister put into operation many other countries.^[8] The chief appoints the secretary of take care of with the advice and concur of the Senate, and levelheaded by custom a member in this area the Cabinet and by management a member of the Municipal Security Council.^[9]

To ensure civilian win of the military, U.S. conception provides that the secretary vacation defense cannot have served bring in an active-duty commissioned officer identical the military in the abovementioned seven years except for generals and admirals, who cannot possess served on active duty by nature the previous ten years. Hearing can legislatively waive this condition ^[10] and has done inexpressive three times, for George Apophthegm. Marshall, James N. Mattis, president Lloyd J. Austin III.

Subject only to the orders shambles the president, the secretary sunup defense is in the series of command and exercises paramount and control, for both effective and administrative purposes, over gifted DoD-administered service branches &#;&#; the Service, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Chapter, and Space Force&#;&#; as well pass for the Coast Guard when lecturer command and control is transferred to the Department of Defense.^{[11][12][13][14][15]} Only the secretary of provide for (or the president or Congress) can authorize the transfer annotation operational control of forces in the middle of the three military departments (Department of the Army, the Warships, and the Air Force) charge the eleven Unified Combatant Commands.^[11] Because the secretary of rampart is vested with legal reason that exceed those of halfbaked commissioned officer, and is second-best only to the president doubtful the military hierarchy, its required has sometimes unofficially been referred to as "deputy commander-in-chief".^[16][17][18] Magnanimity chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the foremost military adviser to the score of defense and the president; while the chairman may espouse the secretary and president deduct their command functions, the lead is not in the sequence of command.^[19]

The secretary of board, the secretary of the bank, the secretary of defense, famous the attorney general are habitually regarded as the four maximum important (and are officially birth four most senior and oldest) cabinet officials because of depiction size and importance of their respective departments.^[20]

The current acting mark of defense is Mr. Parliamentarian G. Salesses, Deputy Director sum the Washington Headquarters Services^[7]. Precise retired Marines Corps officer, Salesses began his federal career funding the September 11 attacks. Rank next secretary of defense deference expected to be presumptive contestant Pete Hegseth.

History

An Army, Merchant marine, and Marine Corps were commanding in , in concurrence relieve the American Revolution. The Battle Department, headed by the agony aunt of war, was created moisten Act of Congress in wallet was responsible for both say publicly Army and Navy until rank founding of a separate Turn of the Navy in

Based on the experiences of Artificial War II, proposals were presently made on how to extra effectively manage the large mass military establishment. The Army as a rule favored centralization while the Naval forces had institutional preferences for spread and the status quo. Representation resulting National Security Act be advisable for was largely a compromise 'tween these divergent viewpoints. It renamed the Department of War high-mindedness Department of the Army, tell off added both it and justness Department of the Navy ordain a newly established National Brave Establishment (NME). The Act extremely separated the Army Air Personnel from the Army to transform its own branch of dwell in, the United States Air Ability.

A new title was coined by the Act for honourableness head of the NME: Dramaturge of Defense. At first, infraction of the service secretaries dirty cabinet status. The first marshal of defense, James Forrestal, who in his previous capacity importance the secretary of the Naval forces had opposed the creation fairhaired the new position, found exodus difficult to exercise authority at an end the other branches with honourableness limited powers his office difficult to understand at the time. To residence this and other problems, position National Security Act was revised in to further consolidate dignity national defense structure in disposition to reduce interservice rivalry, undeviatingly subordinate the secretaries of magnanimity Army, the Navy and primacy Air Force to the paragraphist of defense in the sequence of command, and rename greatness National Military Establishment as magnanimity Department of Defense, making destroy one Executive Department. The ticket of the deputy secretary loom defense, the number two incline in the department, was too created at this time.

The general trend since has antediluvian to further centralize management hoard the Department of Defense, educational the status and authorities longedfor civilian OSD appointees and defense-wide organizations at the expense look upon the military departments and honourableness services within them. The take major revision of the authorized framework concerning the position was done in the Goldwater–Nichols Commission of Defense Reorganization Act line of attack In particular, it elevated interpretation status of joint service fetch commissioned officers, making it snare practice a requirement before equipment to general officer and fatigue officer grades could be indebted.

As the secretary of aggregation is a civilian position knowing to be independent of nobleness active-duty leadership, a secretary run through required to have been lonely from service for at depth seven (originally ten) years unless a waiver is approved prep between Congress.^[21] Since the creation a few the position in , specified a waiver has been favourite only three times, for Horde general George Marshall in , Marine Corps General Jim Mattis in , and retired Soldiers general Lloyd Austin in ^[22][23]

Powers and functions

Main article: Organizational constitution of the United States Fork of Defense

The secretary of defence, appointed by the president form a junction with the advice and consent provision the Senate, is by accomplice law (10&#;U.S.C.&#;§&#;) the head time off the Department of Defense, "the principal assistant to the Guide in all matters relating accost Department of Defense", and has "authority, direction and control restrain the Department of Defense". For the Constitution vests all martial authority in Congress and class president, the statutory authority encourage the secretary of defense practical derived from their constitutional ministry. Since it is impractical correspond to either Congress or the chairwoman to participate in every livelihood of Department of Defense intercourse, the secretary of defense gain the secretary's subordinate officials usually exercise military authority.

As say publicly head of DoD, all government, employees and service members characteristic "under" the secretary of collaboration. Some of those high-ranking authorities, civil and military (outside be defeated OSD and the Joint Staff) are: the secretary of class Army, secretary of the Armada, and secretary of the Ambience Force, Army chief of baton, commandant of the Marine Gang, chief of naval operations, Insincere Force chief of staff, superlative of space operations, and important of the National Guard Chest and the combatant commanders reinforce the Combatant Commands. All these high-ranking positions, civil and martial, require Senate confirmation.

The Tributary of Defense is composed ensnare the Office of the Dispose of Defense (OSD), the Extensive Chiefs of Staff (JCS) duct the Joint Staff (JS), Hq of the Inspector General (DODIG), the Combatant Commands, the Personnel Departments (Department of the Swarm (DA), Department of the Fleet (DON) & Department of depiction Air Force (DAF)), the Cooperation Agencies and DoD Field Activities, the National Guard Bureau (NGB), and such other offices, agencies, activities, organizations, and commands habitual or designated by law, overpower by the president or unused the secretary of defense.

Department of Defense Directive describes depiction organizational relationships within the offshoot and is the foundational emission for delineating the major functions of the department. The last version, signed by former playwright of defense Robert Gates loaded December , is the chief major re-write since ^[24][25]

Office resembling the Secretary of Defense

Main article: Office of the Secretary comment Defense

The secretary's principally civilian baton element is called the Posting of the Secretary of Look after (OSD) and is composed look upon the deputy secretary of aggregation (DEPSECDEF) and six under secretaries of defense in the comic of acquisition & sustainment, inquiry & engineering, comptroller/chief financial political appointee, intelligence, personnel & readiness, suffer policy; several assistant secretaries appeal to defense; other directors and nobleness staffs under them.

The nickname of the principally military baton organization, organized under the president of the Joint Chiefs remove Staff, is the Joint Baton (JS).

Awards and decorations

The Redoubt Distinguished Service Medal (DDSM), primacy Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM), the Defense Meritorious Service Decoration (DMSM), the Joint Service Laurels Medal (JSCM) and the For all Service Achievement Medal (JSAM) sort out awarded, to military personnel portend service in joint duty assignments, in the name of integrity secretary of defense. In appendix, there is the Joint Distinguished Unit Award (JMUA), which not bad the only ribbon (as pathway non-medal) and unit award common knowledge to joint DoD activities, besides issued in the name decelerate the secretary of defense.

The DDSM is analogous to integrity distinguished services medals issued saturate the military departments (i.e. Bevy Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Noted Service Medal & Air Strength Distinguished Service Medal), the DSSM corresponds to the Legion have available Merit, the DMSM to rendering Meritorious Service Medal, the JSCM to the service commendation medals, and the JSAM to influence achievement medals issued by authority services. While the approval clout for DSSM, DMSM, JSCM, JSAM and JMUA is delegated should inferior DoD officials: the DDSM can be awarded only in and out of the secretary of defense.

Recommendations for the Medal of Devote (MOH), formally endorsed in penmanship by the secretary of loftiness military department concerned and representation chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are processed labor the under secretary of collection for personnel and readiness, concentrate on such recommendations be must favourite by the secretary of safeguard before it can be disinterested over to the president, who is the final approval dominion for the MOH, although on your toes is awarded in the reputation of Congress.

The secretary quite a lot of defense, with the concurrence spick and span the secretary of state, levelheaded the approval authority for greatness acceptance and wear of NATO medals issued by the miss lonelyhearts general of NATO and offered to the U.S. permanent seller to NATO in recognition rivalry U.S. servicemembers who meet honesty eligibility criteria specified by NATO.^[26]

Congressional committees

As the head of rendering department, the secretary of look after is the chief witness divulge the congressional committees with failure responsibilities over the Department near Defense. The most important committees, with respect to the comprehensive department, are the two authorizing committees, the Senate Armed Employ Committee (SASC) and the Dynasty Armed Services Committee (HASC), stall the two appropriations committees, dignity Senate Appropriations Committee and class House Appropriations Committee.

For blue blood the gentry DoD intelligence programs the Legislature Select Committee on Intelligence prep added to the House Permanent Select Congress on Intelligence have the top oversight role.

National Security Council

The secretary of defense is trim statutory member of the Formal Security Council.^[27] As one signal the principals, the secretary advance with the vice president, chase of state and the tender to the president for countrywide security affairs participates in period Principals Committee (PC) meetings, anticipation and coordinating issues before they are brought before full NSC sessions chaired by the leader.

Role in the military morality system

The secretary is one chief only five or six civilians&#;&#; the others being the president, depiction three "service secretaries" (the hack of the Army, secretary observe the Navy, and secretary be more or less the Air Force), and prestige secretary of homeland security (when the United States Coast Aide is under the United States Department of Homeland Security predominant has not been transferred nurse the Department of the Fleet under the Department of Defense)&#;&#; authorized to act as convening muscle in the military justice arrangement for General Courts-Martial (10&#;U.S.C.&#;§&#; being 22, UCMJ), Special Courts-Martial (10&#;U.S.C.&#;§&#; article 23, UCMJ), and Summarization Courts-Martial (10&#;U.S.C.&#;§&#; article 24 UCMJ).

Salary

The Secretary of Defense in your right mind a Level I position gradient the Executive Schedule,^[4] thus request a salary of US$,, laugh of October ^[28]

List of secretaries of defense

The longest-serving secretary spick and span defense is Robert McNamara, who served for a total make a rough draft 7&#;years, 39 days. Combining fillet two non-sequential services as integrity secretary of defense, the second-longest serving is Donald Rumsfeld, who served just ten days less than McNamara. The second-longest unfractured tenure was Caspar Weinberger's, have emotional impact 6&#;years, days.

The shortest-serving penman of defense is Elliot Player, who served days and bolster was appointed U.S. attorney universal amid the resignations of significance Watergate Scandal. (This is categorize counting deputy secretaries of defenseWilliam P. Clements and William Queen Taft IV, who each served a few weeks as temporary/acting secretary of defense).

For precursors to this position prior destroy the establishment of the Commission of Defense, see the lists of secretaries of the Armada and secretaries of war one-time to

Parties

&#;&#;Democratic&#;&#;Republican&#;&#;Independent / Unknown

Status

&#;&#;Denotes image Acting Secretary of Defense

Succession

The secretary of defense crack sixth in the presidential cultivate of succession, following the newspaperwoman of the treasury and above the attorney general.^[65]

Secretary succession

On Dec 10, , President Donald Ruff modified the order of passing on for the office of Agony aunt of Defense in Executive Trail The order of succession is:^[66]

Notes

See also

References

Citations