United States Secretary of Defense

Information about United States Secretary of Defense

Department of Defense
Enlarge picture
Seal of the Department of Defense
Established:July 26, 1947
Activated:September 18, 1947
Renamed:August 10, 1949
Secretary:Robert Gates
Deputy Secretary:Gordon R. England
Chairman, JCS:Admiral Michael Mullen
Budget:$419.3 billion (2006 official)
Employees:700,000 civilian
2.3 million military (2004)
Address:The Pentagon
The United States Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), concerned with the armed services and military matters. The role of the Secretary of Defense is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for the formulation of general defense policy and policy related to all matters of direct and primary concern to the DoD, and for the execution of approved policy[1]. The Secretary is appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate, and is a member of the Cabinet. By statute the secretary must be a civilian who has not served in the active component of the armed forces for at least 10 years (10 USC Sec. 113 - Note that Congress had passed a law to allow George Marshall to be appointed in 1950 despite having only been a civilian since 1945). The Secretary of Defense is sixth in the presidential line of succession.

History

The position was created in 1947 when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were merged into the new National Military Establishment. In the same massive reorganization, the Secretary of War was replaced by the Secretary of the Army and, along with the Secretary of the Navy and the new Secretary of the Air Force, became a non-Cabinet position placed under the Secretary of Defense. In 1949, the National Military Establishment was renamed the Department of Defense, which remains the current name of the department.

Organization

Within the U.S. Armed Forces, the Secretary of Defense is often referred to as SecDef.

The SecDef and the President together constitute the National Command Authority (NCA), which has sole authority to launch strategic nuclear weapons. All nuclear weapons are governed by the two-man rule, even at the highest levels in government. Both individuals must concur before a strategic nuclear strike may be ordered.

The SecDef, as the head of the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense, is assisted by a Deputy Secretary and five Under Secretaries in the fields of Acquisition, Technology & Logistics; Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer; Intelligence; Personnel & Readiness; and arguably the most important, Policy. All of these positions require Senate confirmation.

The Secretary of Defense also supervises the six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commanders of the ten Combatant Commands.

Along with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense is generally regarded as one of the "Big Four" important cabinet officials.

List of Secretaries of Defense

# Picture Name Term of Office President(s) served under
Start End
1James ForrestalSeptember 17, 1947March 28, 1949Harry S. Truman
2Louis A. JohnsonMarch 28, 1949September 19, 1950Harry S. Truman
3George C. MarshallSeptember 21, 1950September 12, 1951Harry S. Truman
4Robert A. LovettSeptember 17, 1951January 20, 1953Harry S. Truman
5Charles E. WilsonJanuary 28, 1953October 8, 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower
6Neil H. McElroyOctober 9, 1957December 1, 1959Dwight D. Eisenhower
7Thomas S. GatesDecember 2, 1959January 20, 1961Dwight D. Eisenhower
8Robert S. McNamaraJanuary 21, 1961February 29, 1968John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson
9Clark M. CliffordMarch 1, 1968January 20, 1969Lyndon Johnson
10Melvin R. LairdJanuary 22, 1969January 29, 1973Richard Nixon
11Elliot L. RichardsonJanuary 30, 1973May 24, 1973Richard Nixon
12James R. SchlesingerJuly 2, 1973November 19, 1975Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
13Donald H. RumsfeldNovember 20, 1975January 20, 1977Gerald Ford
14Harold BrownJanuary 21, 1977January 20, 1981Jimmy Carter
15Caspar W. WeinbergerJanuary 21, 1981November 23, 1987Ronald Reagan
16Frank C. CarlucciNovember 23, 1987January 20, 1989Ronald Reagan
17Richard B. CheneyMarch 21, 1989January 20, 1993George H. W. Bush
18Les AspinJanuary 21, 1993February 3, 1994Bill Clinton
19William J. PerryFebruary 3, 1994January 24, 1997Bill Clinton
20William S. CohenJanuary 24, 1997January 20, 2001Bill Clinton
21Donald H. RumsfeldJanuary 20, 2001December 18, 2006George W. Bush
22Robert M. GatesDecember 18, 2006IncumbentGeorge W. Bush

Line of succession

In an Executive Order of December 22, 2005, President George W. Bush modified the line of succession regarding who would act as Secretary of Defense in the event of a vacancy or incapacitation as follows:
  1. Deputy Secretary of Defense
  2. Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
  3. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
  4. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
  5. Secretary of the Army
  6. Secretary of the Air Force
  7. Secretary of the Navy
  8. Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)
  9. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and Deputy

References

External links

 •  • [ e]
United States Secretaries of Defense
Forrestal • Johnson • Marshall • Lovett • Wilson • McElroy • T Gates • McNamara • Clifford • Laird • Richardson • Schlesinger • Rumsfeld • Brown • Weinberger • Carlucci • Cheney • Aspin • Perry • Cohen • Rumsfeld • R Gates
 •  • [ e]
Agencies under the United States Department of Defense
Secretary of Defense
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense • Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee • Office of Net Assessment • Pentagon Force Protection Agency • Defense Legal Services Agency • Defense Criminal Investigative Service

Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency • Missile Defense Agency • Defense Contract Management Agency • Defense Logistics Agency • Defense Threat Reduction Agency • Office of Economic Adjustment • Defense Acquisition University

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
Defense Security Cooperation Agency • Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office

Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller
Defense Contract Audit Agency • Defense Finance and Accounting Service

Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
Defense Commissary Agency • Department of Defense Education Activity • Department of Defense Dependents Schools • Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools • DoD Human Resources Activity • TRICARE Management Activity • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences • Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute • Office of the Chancellor for Education and Professional Development

Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Counterintelligence Field Activity • Defense Intelligence Agency • Defense Security Service • Defense Information Systems Agency • National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency • National Reconnaissance Office • National Security Agency

Military Departments
Secretary of the Army • Secretary of the Navy • Secretary of the Air Force
United States Army • United States Navy • United States Air Force • United States Marines

Joint Chiefs of Staff

Unified Combatant Command
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United States Department of Defense Seal
 •  • [ e]
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In office
December 18 2006- Present
President George W. Bush
Preceded by
Succeeded by


Alma mater College of William & Mary
Profession Statesman

Robert Michael Gates
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The United States Deputy Secretary of Defense is the second-highest ranking official in the United States Department of Defense. According to the U.S. Defense department website, the Deputy Secretary has the authority to


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Gordon Richard England (September 15, 1937[1]) is an American businessman who currently serves as the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense. A two-time former Secretary of the Navy, he was nominated for his current position by U.S. President George W. Bush.
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The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking overall military officer of the United States military, and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States.
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Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a group comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the armed services in the United States armed forces. Similar organizations, sometimes known as Chiefs of Staff Committees (COSCs) in the Commonwealth of Nations, are common in
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Admiral is a senior commissioned flag rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. It is also commonly known as a "Four Star Admiral".
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Michael Glenn Mullen, USN (born October 4 1946), is the 17th and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as of October 1, 2007. Mullen was the 28th Chief of Naval Operations of the United States Navy, relieving ADM Vern Clark on 22 July, 2005.
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United States federal budget is a federal document which outlines funding recommendations for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1st. The American Congress develops a budget resolution, based on recommendations from the President, and approves individual appropriations
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The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.
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"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
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In military science, defense (or defence) is the art of preventing an attack, or minimizing the damage of an attack, e.g. by preventing an enemy from conquering territory.
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Department of Defense redirects here. For the defense departments in governments of other countries, see defence ministry.

United States
Department of Defense
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United States Armed Forces is the military service of the United States and is structured into five branches.
  • U.S. Army
  • U.S. Marine Corps
  • U.S. Navy
  • U.S. Air Force
  • U.S.

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United States Armed Forces is the military service of the United States and is structured into five branches.
  • U.S. Army
  • U.S. Marine Corps
  • U.S. Navy
  • U.S. Air Force
  • U.S.

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United States Senate

Type Upper House

President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R
since January 20, 2001
President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D
since January 4, 2007

Members 100
Political groups Democratic Party
Republican Party
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United States Armed Forces is the military service of the United States and is structured into five branches.
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The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States.

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The official text of an Act of Congress is that of the "enrolled bill" (traditionally printed on parchment)
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United States Congress

Type Bicameral
Houses Senate
House of Representatives
President of the Senate
President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R)
since January 20, 2001
Robert C.
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George Catlett Marshall, Jr. (December 31 1880 – October 16 1959) was an American military leader, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense. Once noted as the "organizer of victory" by Winston Churchill for his leadership of the Allied victory in World War II,
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presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office (by impeachment and subsequent conviction) of a sitting president or a president-elect.
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