United States Secretary of Defense

Secretary of Defense of the United States
Seal of the Department of Defense[1]
Flag of the Secretary of Defense[2]
Incumbent Jim Mattis since 20 January 2017
United States Department of Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense
Style	Mr. Secretary
Status	Leader and chief executive officer
Member of	Cabinet National Security Council
Reports to	President of the United States
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 113 50 U.S.C. § 401
Formation	17 September 1947; 71 years ago (1947-09-17)
First holder	James Forrestal
Succession	Sixth[3]
Deputy	Deputy Secretary of Defense
Salary	Executive Schedule, level I[4]
Website	www.defense.gov

The Secretary of Defense (SecDef) is the leader and chief executive officer of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the Armed Forces of the United States.^[5][6][7] The Secretary of Defense's position of command and authority over the United States' military is second only to that of the President and Congress, respectively.^[8] This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in many other countries.^[9] The Secretary of Defense is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.^[10]

Secretary of Defense is a statutory office, and the general provision in 10 U.S.C. § 113 provides that the Secretary of Defense has "authority, direction and control over the Department of Defense", and is further designated by the same statute as "the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to the Department of Defense".^[11] Ensuring civilian control of the military, an individual may not be appointed as Secretary of Defense within seven years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular (i.e., non-reserve) component of an armed force.^[12]

The Secretary of Defense is in the chain of command and exercises command and control, for both operational and administrative purposes subject only to the orders of the President, over all Department of Defense forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. This is also extended to the United States Coast Guard during any period of time in which its command and control is transferred to the Department of Defense.^{[13][14][15][16][17]} Only the Secretary of Defense (or the president or Congress) can authorize the transfer of operational control of forces between the three Military Departments (the departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force) and the 10 Combatant Commands (Africa Command, Central Command, European Command, Indo-Pacific Command, Northern Command, Southern Command, Cyber Command, Special Operations Command, Strategic Command, Transportation Command).^[13] Because the Office of Secretary of Defense is vested with legal powers which exceed those of any commissioned officer, and is second only to the President in the military hierarchy, it has sometimes unofficially been referred to as a de facto "deputy commander-in-chief".^[18][19][20] The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the principal military adviser to the Secretary of Defense and the President, and while the Chairman may assist the Secretary and President in their command functions, the Chairman is not in the chain of command.^[21]

The Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of the Treasury are generally regarded as the four most important cabinet officials because of the importance of their departments.^[22]

The current Secretary of Defense is retired United States Marine Corps general Jim Mattis, who was confirmed and sworn in on 20 January 2017.^[23]

Contents

• 
  1 History
  


• 
  2 Powers and functions
  
  
  
  • 
    2.1 Office of the Secretary of Defense
    
  
  
  • 
    2.2 Awards and decorations
    
  
  
  • 
    2.3 Congressional committees
    
  
  
  • 
    2.4 National Security Council
    
  
  
  • 
    2.5 Role in the military justice system
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  3 Amenities
  
  
  
  • 
    3.1 Salary
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  4 List of Secretaries of Defense
  


• 
  5 Succession
  
  
  
  • 
    5.1 Presidential succession
    
  
  
  • 
    5.2 Secretary of Defense succession
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  6 Living former Secretaries of Defense
  


• 
  7 See also
  


• 
  8 References
  
  
  
  • 
    8.1 Footnotes
    
  
  
  • 
    8.2 Sources
    
    
    
    • 
      8.2.1 Federal law
      
    
    
    • 
      8.2.2 Directives, regulations and manuals
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  9 Further reading
  
  
  
  • 
    9.1 Primary historical sources
    
    
    
    • 
      9.1.1 Online sources
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  10 External links
  

History

Seal of the National Military Establishment (1947–1949), which was reorganized into the Department of Defense.

The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps were established in 1775, in concurrence with the American Revolution. The War Department, headed by the Secretary of War, was created by Act of Congress in 1789 and was responsible for both the Army and Navy until the founding of a separate Department of the Navy in 1798.

Based on the experiences of World War II, proposals were soon made on how to more effectively manage the large combined military establishment. The Army generally favored centralization while the Navy had institutional preferences for decentralization and the status quo. The resulting National Security Act of 1947 was largely a compromise between these divergent viewpoints. The Act split the Department of War into the Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force and established the National Military Establishment (NME), presided over by the Secretary of Defense. The Act also separated the Army Air Forces from the Army to become its own branch of service, the United States Air Force. At first, each of the service secretaries maintained cabinet status. The first Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal, who in his previous capacity as Secretary of the Navy had opposed creation of the new position, found it difficult to exercise authority over the other branches with the limited powers his office had at the time. To address this and other problems, the National Security Act was amended in 1949 to further consolidate the national defense structure in order to reduce interservice rivalry, directly subordinate the Secretaries of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force to the Secretary of Defense in the chain of command, and rename the National Military Establishment as the Department of Defense, making it one Executive Department. The position of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, the number two position in the department, was also created at this time.

The general trend since 1949 has been to further centralize management in the Department of Defense, elevating the status and authorities of civilian OSD appointees and defense-wide organizations at the expense of the military departments and the services within them. The last major revision of the statutory framework concerning the position was done in the Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. In particular, it elevated the status of joint service for commissioned officers, making it in practice a requirement before appointments to general officer and flag officer grades could be made.

Powers and functions

Main article: Organizational structure of the United States Department of Defense

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The Secretary of War [now Secretary of Defense] is the regular constitutional organ of the President for the administration of the military establishment of the nation; and rules and orders publicly promulgated through him must be received as the acts of the executive, and as such, be binding upon all within the sphere of his legal and constitutional authority. Such regulations cannot be questioned or denied because they may be thought unwise or mistaken.
.

United States v. Eliason, 41 U.S. 291 (1842)

Nor is it necessary for the Secretary of War [now Secretary of Defense] in promulgating such rules or orders to state that they emanate from the President, for the presumption is that the Secretary is acting with the President's approbation and under his direction.

In re Brodie, 128 Fed. 668 (CCA 8th 1904)

Department of Defense organizational chart (December 2013)

The Secretary of Defense, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is by federal law (10 U.S.C. § 113) the head of the Department of Defense, "the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to Department of Defense", and has "authority, direction and control over the Department of Defense". Because the Constitution vests all military authority in Congress and the President, the statutory authority of the Secretary of Defense is derived from their constitutional authorities. Since it is impractical for either Congress or the President to participate in every piece of Department of Defense affairs, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary's subordinate officials generally exercise military authority.

As the head of DoD, all officials, employees and service members are "under" the Secretary of Defense. Some of those high-ranking officials, civil and military (outside of OSD and the Joint Staff) are: the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and Secretary of the Air Force, Army Chief of Staff, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Chief of Naval Operations, and Air Force Chief of Staff, Chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Combatant Commanders of the Combatant Commands. All of these high-ranking positions, civil and military, require Senate confirmation.

The Department of Defense is composed of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the Joint Staff (JS), Office of the Inspector General (DODIG), the Combatant Commands, the Military Departments (Department of the Army (DA), Department of the Navy (DON) & Department of the Air Force (DAF)), the Defense Agencies and DoD Field Activities, the National Guard Bureau (NGB), and such other offices, agencies, activities, organizations, and commands established or designated by law, or by the President or by the Secretary of Defense.

Department of Defense Directive 5100.01 describes the organizational relationships within the Department, and is the foundational issuance for delineating the major functions of the Department. The latest version, signed by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in December 2010, is the first major re-write since 1987.^[24][25]

Office of the Secretary of Defense

Main article: Office of the Secretary of Defense

The Secretary's principally civilian staff element is called the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and is composed of the Deputy Secretary of Defense (DEPSECDEF) and five Under Secretaries of Defense in the fields of Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer, Intelligence, Personnel & Readiness, and Policy; several Assistant Secretaries of Defense; other directors and the staffs under them.

The name of the principally military staff organization, organized under the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the Joint Staff (JS).

Awards and decorations

The Defense Distinguished Service Medal (DDSM), the Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM), the Joint Service Commendation Medal (JSCM) and the Joint Service Achievement Medal (JSAM) are awarded, to military personnel for service in joint duty assignments, in the name of the Secretary of Defense. In addition, there is the Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA), which is the only ribbon (as in non-medal) and unit award issued to joint DoD activities, also issued in the name of the Secretary of Defense.

The DDSM is analogous to the distinguished services medals issued by the military departments (i.e. Army Distinguished Service Medal, Navy Distinguished Service Medal & Air Force Distinguished Service Medal), the DSSM corresponds to the Legion of Merit, the DMSM to the Meritorious Service Medal, the JSCM to the service commendation medals, and the JSAM to the achievement medals issued by the services. While the approval authority for DSSM, DMSM, JSCM, JSAM and JMUA is delegated to inferior DoD officials: the DDSM can only be awarded by the Secretary of Defense.

Recommendations for the Medal of Honor (MOH), formally endorsed in writing by the Secretary of the Military Department concerned and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are processed through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and such recommendations be must approved by the Secretary of Defense before it can be handed over to the President, who is the final approval authority for the MOH, although it is awarded in the name of Congress.

The Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, is the approval authority for the acceptance and wear of NATO medals issued by the Secretary General of NATO and offered to the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO in recognition of U.S. Service members who meet the eligibility criteria specified by NATO.^[26]

Congressional committees

As the head of the department, the Secretary of Defense is the chief witness for the congressional committees with oversight responsibilities over the Department of Defense. The most important committees, with respect to the entire department, are the two authorizing committees, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), and the two appropriations committees, the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Appropriations Committee.

For the DoD intelligence programs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence have the principal oversight role.

National Security Council

The Secretary of Defense is a statutory member of the National Security Council.^[27] As one of the principals, the Secretary along with the Vice President, Secretary of State and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs participates in biweekly Principals Committee (PC) meetings, preparing and coordinating issues before they are brought before full NSC sessions chaired by the President.

Role in the military justice system

The Secretary is one of only five or six civilians—the others being the President, the three "service secretaries" (the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and Secretary of the Air Force), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (when the United States Coast Guard is under the United States Department of Homeland Security and has not been transferred to the Department of the Navy under the Department of Defense)—authorized to act as convening authority in the military justice system for General Courts-Martial (10 U.S.C. § 822: article 22, UCMJ), Special Courts-Martial (10 U.S.C. § 823: article 23, UCMJ), and Summary Courts-Martial (10 U.S.C. § 824: article 24 UCMJ).

Amenities

Salary

Secretary of Defense is a Level I position of the Executive Schedule,^[4] and thus earns a salary of $203,700 per year as of January 2015.

List of Secretaries of Defense

The longest-serving Secretary of Defense is Robert McNamara, who served for a total of 2,595 days. Combining his two non-sequential services as Secretary of Defense, the second longest serving is Donald Rumsfeld, who served just ten days fewer than McNamara. The shortest-serving Secretary of Defense is Elliot Richardson, who was quickly moved to US Attorney General after 114 days due to resignations during the Watergate Scandal (not counting Deputy Secretary of Defense William P. Clements and William Howard Taft IV, who each served a few weeks as temporary/acting Secretary of Defense).

Parties

  Democratic
  Republican
  Political Independent / Unknown

Status

  Denotes an Acting Secretary of Defense

No.	Portrait	Name	State of Residence	Took Office	Left Office	Days served	President serving under
1		James V. Forrestal	New York	17 September 1947	28 March 1949[28]	558		Harry S Truman
2		Louis A. Johnson	West Virginia	28 March 1949	19 September 1950[29]	540
3		George C. Marshall	Pennsylvania	21 September 1950	12 September 1951[30]	356
4		Robert A. Lovett	New York	17 September 1951	20 January 1953[31]	491
5		Charles E. Wilson	Michigan	28 January 1953	8 October 1957[32]	1714		Dwight D. Eisenhower
6		Neil H. McElroy	Ohio	9 October 1957	1 December 1959[33]	783
7		Thomas S. Gates, Jr.	Pennsylvania	2 December 1959	20 January 1961[34]	415
8		Robert S. McNamara	Michigan	21 January 1961	29 February 1968[35]	1035		John F. Kennedy
						1560 (2595 total)		Lyndon B. Johnson
9		Clark M. Clifford	Maryland	1 March 1968	20 January 1969[36]	325
10		Melvin R. Laird	Wisconsin	22 January 1969	29 January 1973[37]	1468		Richard Nixon
11		Elliot L. Richardson	Massachusetts	30 January 1973	24 May 1973[38]	114
–		William P. Clements, Jr.[39] Acting	Texas	24 May 1973	2 July 1973[citation needed]	39
12		James R. Schlesinger	Virginia	2 July 1973	19 November 1975[40]	403
						467 (870 total)		Gerald Ford
13		Donald Rumsfeld	Illinois	20 November 1975	20 January 1977[41]	427 ( 2585 total)
14		Harold Brown	California	21 January 1977	20 January 1981[42]	1460		Jimmy Carter
15		Caspar Weinberger	California	21 January 1981	23 November 1987[43]	2497		Ronald Reagan
16		Frank Carlucci	Virginia	23 November 1987	20 January 1989[44]	424
–		William Howard Taft IV Acting	Ohio	20 January 1989	21 March 1989[45]	60		George H. W. Bush
17		Richard B. Cheney	Wyoming	21 March 1989	20 January 1993[46]	1401
18		Leslie Aspin	Wisconsin	21 January 1993	3 February 1994[47]	378		Bill Clinton
19		William J. Perry	Pennsylvania	3 February 1994	23 January 1997[48] / 24 January 1997[49]	1085
20		William S. Cohen	Maine	24 January 1997	20 January 2001[50]	1457
21		Donald Rumsfeld	Illinois	20 January 2001	18 December 2006[51]	2158 (2585 total)		George W. Bush
22		Robert M. Gates	Texas	18 December 2006	30 June 2011[52]	764
						891 (1655 total)		Barack Obama
23		Leon Panetta	California	1 July 2011	26 February 2013[53]	606
24		Chuck Hagel	Nebraska	27 February 2013	17 February 2015[54]	720
25		Ash Carter	Massachusetts	17 February 2015	19 January 2017[55]	702
26		Jim Mattis	Washington	20 January 2017[56]	Present	679		Donald Trump

Succession

Presidential succession

The Secretary of Defense is sixth in the presidential line of succession, following the Secretary of the Treasury and preceding the Attorney General.^[57]

Secretary of Defense succession

In Executive Order 13533 of 1 March 2010, President Barack Obama modified the line of succession regarding who would act as Secretary of Defense in the event of a vacancy or incapacitation, thus reversing the changes made by President George W. Bush in Executive Order 13394 as to the relative positions of the Secretaries of the Military Departments. All of the officials in the line of succession are civilians appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate:

Executive Order 13533 (1 March 2010 – present) # Office Secretary of Defense 1 Deputy Secretary of Defense 2 Secretary of the Army 3 Secretary of the Navy 4 Secretary of the Air Force 5 Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics 6 Under Secretary of Defense for Policy 7 Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) 8 Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness 9 Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence 10 Deputy Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense 11 Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics 12 Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy 13 Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) 14 Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness 15 Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence 16 Director of Defense Research and Engineering 17 General Counsel of the Department of Defense Assistant Secretaries of Defense Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs Director of Operational Test and Evaluation Director of Operational Energy Plans and Programs and the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation 18 Under Secretary of the Army Under Secretary of the Navy and the Under Secretary of the Air Force 19 Assistant Secretaries of the Army Assistant Secretaries of the Navy Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force General Counsel of the Army General Counsel of the Navy and the General Counsel of the Air Force

Executive Order 13394 (22 December 2005 – 1 March 2010) # Office Secretary of Defense 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 the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness 10 General Counsel of the Department of Defense Assistant Secretaries of Defense and the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation 11 Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness and the Director of Defense Research and Engineering 12 Under Secretary of the Army Under Secretary of the Navy and the Under Secretary of the Air Force 13 Assistant Secretaries of the Army Assistant Secretaries of the Navy Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force General Counsel of the Army General Counsel of the Navy and the General Counsel of the Air Force

Living former Secretaries of Defense

See also: List of living former members of the United States Cabinet

As of November 2018, there are nine living former Secretaries of Defense, the oldest being Harold Brown (1977–1981, born 1927). The most recent Secretary of Defense to die was Frank Carlucci (1987–1989), on 3 June 2018.

Name	Term of office	Date of birth (and age)
Donald Rumsfeld	1975–1977, 2001–2006	(1932-07-09) 9 July 1932 (age 86)
Harold Brown	1977–1981	(1927-09-19) 19 September 1927 (age 91)
Dick Cheney	1989–1993	(1941-01-30) 30 January 1941 (age 77)
William Perry	1994–1997	(1927-10-11) 11 October 1927 (age 91)
William Cohen	1997–2001	(1940-08-28) 28 August 1940 (age 78)
Robert Gates	2006–2011	(1943-09-25) 25 September 1943 (age 75)
Leon Panetta	2011–2013	(1938-06-28) 28 June 1938 (age 80)
Chuck Hagel	2013–2015	(1946-10-04) 4 October 1946 (age 72)
Ash Carter	2015–2017	24 September 1954 (age 62)

See also

• Base Realignment and Closure Commission


• Boeing E-4


• Challenge coin


• Combat Exclusion Policy


• Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States


• Continuity of Operations Plan


• CONPLAN 8022-02


• Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee


• Defense Support of Civil authorities


• Department of Defense Directive 2310


• Designated survivor


• Emergency Action Message


• Global Command and Control System


• Gold Codes


• Hamdan v. Rumsfeld


• Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System


• Key West Agreement


• McCarran Internal Security Act


• Military Commissions Act of 2006


• Military operation plan


• National Command Authority


• National Industrial Security Program


• National Security Strategy (United States)


• Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge


• Packard Commission


• Permissive Action Link


• Presidential Successor Support System


• Quadrennial Defense Review


• Rules of engagement


• Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award


• Single Integrated Operational Plan


• State secrets privilege


• Stop-loss policy


• Two-man rule


• Unconventional warfare (United States Department of Defense doctrine)


• United States Foreign Military Financing


• US Commission on National Security/21st Century

References

Footnotes

1. 
   ^ Trask & Goldberg: p. 177.
   


2. 
   ^ http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/UniformedServices/Flags/Pos_Colors_DoD.aspx Archived 12 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine., accessed on 4 January 2012.
   


3. 
   ^ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act"..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


4. 
   ^ ^ab 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
   


5. 
   ^ 10 U.S.C. § 113.
   


6. 
   ^ DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a
   


7. 
   ^ 5 U.S.C. § 101.
   


8. 
   ^ Trask & Goldberg: p.11
   


9. 
   ^ http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C0FDE451-36F2483B/natolive/nato_countries.htm, accessed on 4 January 2012.
   


10. 
    ^ 50 U.S.C. § 402.
    


11. 
    ^ 10 U.S.C. § 113
    


12. 
    ^ The National Security Act of 1947 originally required an interval of ten years after relief from active duty, which was reduced to seven years by Sec. 903(a) of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. In 1950 Congress passed special legislation (Pub. Law 81-788) to allow George C. Marshall to serve as Secretary of Defense while remaining a commissioned officer on the active list of the Army (Army regulations kept all five-star generals on active duty for life), but warned:
    
    

    It is hereby expressed as the intent of the Congress that the authority granted by this Act is not to be construed as approval by the Congress of continuing appointments of military men to the office of Secretary of Defense in the future. It is hereby expressed as the sense of the Congress that after General Marshall leaves the office of Secretary of Defense, no additional appointments of military men to that office shall be approved.

    
    

    Defenselink bio, Retrieved 8 February 2010; and Marshall Foundation bio, Retrieved 8 February 2010.
    

    
    
    


13. 
    ^ ^ab 10 U.S.C. § 162
    


14. 
    ^ Joint Publication 1: II-9, II-10 & II-11.
    


15. 
    ^ 10 U.S.C. § 3011
    


16. 
    ^ 10 U.S.C. § 5011
    


17. 
    ^ 10 U.S.C. § 8011
    


18. 
    ^ Trask & Goldberg: pp.11 & 52
    


19. 
    ^ Cohen: p.231.
    


20. 
    ^ http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2006/10/rumsfeld.html, accessed on 6 January 2012.
    


21. 
    ^ 10 U.S.C. § 152
    


22. 
    ^ Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch (1997). Congressional Quarterly. p. 87.
    


23. 
    ^ "Senate confirms retired Gen. James Mattis as defense secretary, breaking with decades of precedent". The Washington Post. 20 January 2017.
    


24. 
    ^ Department of Defense Directive 5100.01 Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components
    


25. 
    ^ DoDD 5100.1: p.1.
    


26. 
    ^ DoDM 1348.33, Vol 3: p.39 (Enclosure 3)
    


27. 
    ^ 50 U.S.C. § 402
    


28. 
    ^ "James V. Forrestal - Harry S. Truman Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


29. 
    ^ "Louis A. Johnson - Harry S. Truman Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


30. 
    ^ "George C. Marshall - Harry S. Truman Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


31. 
    ^ "Robert A. Lovett - Harry S. Truman Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


32. 
    ^ "Charles E. Wilson - Dwight D. Eisenhower Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


33. 
    ^ "Neil H. McElroy -Dwight D. Eisenhower Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


34. 
    ^ "Thomas S. Gates, Jr. - Dwight D. Eisenhower Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


35. 
    ^ "Robert S. McNamara - John F. Kennedy / Lyndon Johnson Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


36. 
    ^ "Clark M. Gifford - Lyndon Johnson Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


37. 
    ^ "Melvin R. Laird - Richard Nixon Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


38. 
    ^ "Elliot L. Richardson - Richard Nixon Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


39. 
    ^ Cantwell, Gerald T. Citizen Airmen: A History of the Air Force Reserve 1946–1994. DIANE Publishing. p. 252. In June 1973, Representative O. C. Fisher complained to William P. Clements, Jr., acting Secretary of Defense, that the authority, responsibility, and, consequently, effectiveness of the chiefs of the various reserve components seemed to be eroding.
    


40. 
    ^ "James R. Schlesinger - Richard Nixon / Gerald Ford Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


41. 
    ^ "Donald H. Rumsfeld - Gerald Ford Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


42. 
    ^ "Harold Brown - James Carter Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


43. 
    ^ "Caspar W. Weinberger - Ronald Reagan Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


44. 
    ^ "Frank C. Carlucci - Ronald Reagan Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


45. 
    ^ "II. Secretaries of Defense" (PDF). Washington Headquarters Services - Pentagon Digital Library. p. 9. (Deputy Secretary of Defense William H. Taft served as acting secretary of defense from 20 January 1989 until 21 March 1989).
    


46. 
    ^ "Richard B. Cheney - George H.W. Bush Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


47. 
    ^ "Leslie Aspin - William J. Clinton Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


48. 
    ^ "William J. Perry - William J. Clinton Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


49. 
    ^ "II. Secretaries of Defense" (PDF). Washington Headquarters Services - Pentagon Digital Library. p. 10. Sworn in as secretary of defense on 3 February 1994 and served until 24 January 1997.
    


50. 
    ^ "William S. Cohen - William J. Clinton Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


51. 
    ^ "Donald H. Rumsfeld - George W. Bush Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


52. 
    ^ "Robert M. Gates - George W. Bush / Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


53. 
    ^ "Leon E. Panetta - Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


54. 
    ^ "Chuck Hagel - Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


55. 
    ^ "Ashton B. Carter - Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


56. 
    ^ "James N. Mattis - Donald Trump Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense - Historical Office.
    


57. 
    ^ 3 U.S.C. § 19.
    

Sources

Federal law

• Title 10 of the United States Code


• Title 50 of the United States Code

Directives, regulations and manuals

• 
  Department of Defense Directive 5100.1: Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components (PDF). Department of Defense Directive. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Defense. 21 December 2010.
  


• 
  Department of Defense Manual 1348.33, Volume 1: Manual of Military Decorations and Awards: General Information, Medal of Honor, and Defense/Joint Decorations and Awards (PDF). Department of Defense Manual. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Defense. 7 March 2013.
  


• 
  Department of Defense Manual 1348.33, Volume 2: Manual of Military Decorations and Awards: General Information, Medal of Honor, and Defense/Joint Decorations and Awards (PDF). Department of Defense Manual. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Defense. 31 May 2013.
  


• 
  Department of Defense Manual 1348.33, Volume 3: Manual of Military Decorations and Awards: General Information, Medal of Honor, and Defense/Joint Decorations and Awards (PDF). Department of Defense Manual. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Defense. 23 November 2010.
  


• 
  Joint Publication 1 – Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States (PDF). Joint Publications. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Defense. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2011.
  


• 
  Joint Publication 1-04 – Legal Support to Military Operations (PDF). Joint Publications. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Defense. 17 August 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  

Further reading

• 
  Cohen, Eliot A. (2003). Supreme Command: soldiers, statesmen and leadership in wartime. New York: Anchor Books. ISBN 978-1-4000-3404-8.
  


• 
  Cole, Alice C.; Goldberg, Alfred; Tucker, Samuel A.; et al., eds. (1978). The Department of Defense: Documents on Establishment and Organization 1944–1978 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense/U.S. Government Printing Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014.
  


• 
  Huntington, Samuel P. (1957). The Soldier and the State. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-81736-2.
  


• 
  King, Archibald (1960) [1949]. Command of the Army (PDF). Military Affairs. Charlottesville, Virginia: The Judge Advocate General's School, U.S. Army.
  


• Mahan, Erin R., and Jeffrey A. Larsen, eds. (2012) “Evolution of the Secretary of Defense in the Era of Massive Retaliation: Charles Wilson, Neil McElroy, and Thomas Gates, 1953–1961,” Cold War Foreign Policy Series: Special Study 3 (September 2012), vii–41.


• 
  Stevenson, Charles A. (2006). SECDEF: the nearly impossible job of Secretary of Defense. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books. ISBN 1-57488-794-7.
  


• 
  Trask, Roger R.; Goldberg, Alfred (1997). The Department of Defense 1997-1947: Organization and Leaders (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense/U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 0-16-049163-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014.
  


• 
  The Department of Defense Key Officials 1947–2013 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2013.
  

Primary historical sources

• 
  Cheney, Dick; Cheney, Liz (2011). In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-7619-1.
  


• 
  Rumsfeld, Donald (2011). Known and Unknown: A Memoir. New York: Sentinel. ISBN 978-1-59523-067-6.
  

Online sources

• 
  "Department of Defense Directive 5100.01 Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components". Office of the Secretary Defense, Director of Administration and Management, Directorate for Organizational & Management Planning. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to United States Secretary of Defense.

• 
  Official website
  

Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Steve Mnuchin as Secretary of the Treasury	Order of Precedence of the United States as Secretary of Defense	Succeeded by Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General
Current U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin	6th in line	Succeeded by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke

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 Panetta Hagel Carter Mattis

v t e Senior officials in the United States Department of Defense
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan Chief Management Officer John H. Gibson Secretaries of the Military Departments Secretary of the Army: Mark Esper Secretary of the Navy: Richard V. Spencer Secretary of the Air Force: Heather Wilson Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Joseph Dunford, USMC Under Secretaries of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment: Ellen Lord Research and Engineering: Michael D. Griffin Policy: John Rood Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer: David Norquist Personnel and Readiness: Vacant Intelligence: Joseph D. Kernan Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Paul J. Selva, USAF Chiefs of the Military Services Chief of Staff of the Army: GEN Mark A. Milley Commandant of the Marine Corps: Gen Robert Neller Chief of Naval Operations: ADM John M. Richardson Chief of Staff of the Air Force: Gen David L. Goldfein Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen Joseph L. Lengyel, USAF Unified Combatant Command Commanders Africa: Gen Thomas D. Waldhauser, USMC Central: GEN Joseph Votel, USA European: GEN Curtis Scaparrotti, USA Northern: Gen Lori Robinson, USAF Pacific: ADM Harry B. Harris Jr., USN Southern: ADM Kurt W. Tidd, USN Special Operations: GEN Raymond A. Thomas, USA Strategic: Gen John E. Hyten, USAF Transportation: Gen Darren W. McDew, USAF
a - Acting

v t e United States Department of Defense
Headquarters: The Pentagon James Mattis, Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense (including Defense Agencies and DoD Field Activities) Deputy Secretary of Defense Deputy's Advisory Working Group Office of Net Assessment Special Access Program Oversight Committee Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Director, Defense Research and Engineering Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Missile Defense Agency Defense Contract Management Agency Defense Logistics Agency Defense Technical Information Center Defense Threat Reduction Agency Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Acquisition University Defense Acquisition Board Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Defense Security Cooperation Agency Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee 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 DoD Human Resources Activity Military Health System Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Security Service Defense Information Systems Agency National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency (Director) Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Defense Media Activity (American Forces Press Service, American Forces Radio and Television Service, Stars and Stripes, The Pentagon Channel) General Counsel of the Department of Defense Defense Legal Services Agency Director of Administration and Management Pentagon Force Protection Agency Washington Headquarters Services
Military Departments Department of the Army Secretary of the Army The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Army Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Assistant Secretary (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs General Counsel of the Army The Administrative Assistant The Army Staff: Chief of Staff of the Army Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Sergeant Major of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 Chief of Chaplains Judge Advocate General Provost Marshal General Surgeon General U.S. Army field organizations: see Structure of the United States Army Department of the Navy Secretary of the Navy The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions) General Counsel of the Navy Judge Advocate General Naval Criminal Investigative Service Naval Inspector General Headquarters Marine Corps: Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Chaplain U.S. Marine Corps field organizations: see Organization of the United States Marine Corps Office of the Chief of Naval Operations: Chief of Naval Operations Vice Chief of Naval Operations Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Director of Naval Reactors Chief of Chaplains Chief of Naval Personnel Surgeon General United States Navy field organizations: see Structure of the United States Navy Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Air Force Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management & Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment & Logistics) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) General Counsel of the Air Force Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Air Staff: Chief of Staff of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Chief of Chaplains Chief of Safety Chief Scientist Judge Advocate General Surgeon General U.S. Air Force field organizations: Major Commands Direct Reporting Units Field Operating Agencies
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Joint Requirements Oversight Council Director of the Joint Staff Joint Staff National Military Command Center Alternate National Military Command Center National Defense University
Combatant Commands Africa Command Central Command European Command Northern Command Pacific Command Southern Command Cyber Command Special Operations Command Strategic Command Transportation Command
National Guard Bureau Chief of the National Guard Bureau Air National Guard Army National Guard
Office of the Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service

v t e Defense Intelligence Agency
Subordinate organizations	Defense Clandestine Service Defense Attaché System Defense Cover Office Missile and Space Intelligence Center National Center for Medical Intelligence National Media Exploitation Center Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe Analytic Center/Joint Intelligence Center National Intelligence University Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
Projects, operations, and programs	Project Socrates Stargate Project Able Danger Iraq Survey Group Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System Soviet Military Power
Oversight	United States Secretary of Defense Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Military Intelligence Board Director of National Intelligence United States Intelligence Community United States Department of Defense SSCI HPSCI
People	Robert McNamara Directors
Facilities	Defense Intelligence Agency Headquarters The Pentagon DIA Memorial Wall

v t e United States Armed Forces
Book Portal A MC N AF CG Category A MC N AF CG Navbox A MC N AF CG
Leadership	Commander-in-chief: President of the United States Secretary of Defense Deputy Secretary of Defense Secretary of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Joint Chiefs of Staff: Chairman Vice Chairman United States Congress: Committees on Armed Services: Senate House Active duty four-star officers United States military seniority National Security Act of 1947 Goldwater–Nichols Act
Organization	Service departments Department of Defense (Secretary): Army (Secretary) Navy (Secretary) Air Force (Secretary) Department of Homeland Security (Secretary): Coast Guard Branches Army (Chief of Staff) Marine Corps (Commandant) Navy (Chief of Naval Operations) Air Force (Chief of Staff) Coast Guard (Commandant) Reserve components Reserves: A MC N AF CG National Guard: A AF Civilian auxiliaries Military Auxiliary Radio System Merchant Marine Civil Air Patrol Coast Guard Auxiliary Unified Combatant Command Africa Central European Indo-Pacific Northern Southern Cyber Special Operations Strategic Transportation
Structure	United States Code Title 10 Title 14 Title 32 Title 50 The Pentagon Installations Units: A MC N AF CG Logistics Media Unit mottoes
Operations and history	Current deployments Conflicts Wars Timeline History: A MC N AF CG Colonial World War II Civil affairs Officers' clubs African Americans Asian Americans Buddhist Americans Jewish Americans Muslim Americans Pakistani Americans Sikh Americans Historiography: Army Center of Military History MC History Division Naval History and Heritage Command Air Force Historical Research Agency American official war artists: Army Art Program AF Art Program
Personnel	Training MEPS ASVAB Recruit training: A MC N AF CG Officer candidate school: A MC N AF Warrant: A MC Service academies: A (prep) N (prep) AF (prep) CG Merchant Marine ROTC A:ECP MC/N AF Medical Other education Uniforms Uniforms: A MC N AF CG Awards & decorations: Inter-service A MC/N AF CG Foreign International Devices Badges: Identification A MC N AF CG Ranks Enlisted: A MC N AF CG Warrant officers Officer: A MC N AF CG Other Oath: Enlistment Office Creeds & Codes: Code of Conduct NCO A MC N AF CG Service numbers: A MC N AF CG Military Occupational Specialty/Rating/Air Force Specialty Code Pay Uniform Code of Military Justice Judge Advocate General's Corps Military Health System/TRICARE Separation Veterans Affairs Conscription Chiefs of Chaplains: A MC N AF CG
Equipment	A MC: vehicles weapons other N AF CG Land Individual weapons Crew-served weapons Vehicles (active) Sea All watercraft Ships: A N (active) AF CG MSC Weapons: N CG Reactors Air Aircraft World War I active Aircraft designation Missiles Helicopter arms Other Nuclear football Electronics (designations) Flags: A MC N AF CG Ensign Jack Guidons Food WMDs: Nuclear Biological Chemical
Legend A = Army MC = Marine Corps N = Navy AF = Air Force CG = Coast Guard

v t e Leaders of the United States federal executive departments
Current	Agriculture Commerce Defense Education Energy Health and Human Services Homeland Security Housing and Urban Development Interior Justice Labor State Transportation Treasury Veterans Affairs
Past	Commerce and Labor Health, Education, and Welfare Navy Post Office War

v t e Presidential line of succession in the United States of America
Vice President (Mike Pence) Speaker of the House of Representatives (Paul Ryan) President pro tempore of the Senate (Orrin Hatch) Secretary of State (Mike Pompeo) Secretary of the Treasury (Steven Mnuchin) Secretary of Defense (Jim Mattis) Acting Attorney General (Matthew Whitaker*) Secretary of the Interior (Ryan Zinke) Secretary of Agriculture (Sonny Perdue) Secretary of Commerce (Wilbur Ross) Secretary of Labor (Alex Acosta) Secretary of Health and Human Services (Alex Azar) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Ben Carson) Secretary of Transportation (Elaine Chao*) Secretary of Energy (Rick Perry) Secretary of Education (Betsy DeVos) Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Robert Wilkie) Secretary of Homeland Security (Kirstjen Nielsen)
* Ineligible to act as president

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