Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Incumbent: GEN Martin Dempsey since: October 1, 2011
First	Omar Bradley
Formation	August 19, 1949
Website	Official Website

Joint Chiefs of Staff insignia

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces,^[1] and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council^[2] and the Secretary of Defense.^[2][3] While the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other officers, he does not have operational command authority over the Armed Forces; however, the Chairman does assist the President and the Secretary of Defense in exercising their command functions.^[1]

The Chairman convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), an advisory body comprising the Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chiefs of staff of the United States Army and United States Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps.^[2] The Joint Staff is under the exclusive direction of the Chairman.

Background

Authority

Although the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered very important and highly prestigious, neither the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body have any command authority over combatant forces. The Goldwater-Nichols Act places the chain of command from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands.^[4] However the chiefs do have authority over personnel assignments and oversight over resources and personnel allocated to the combatant commands within their respective services. The Chairman may also transmit communications to the combatant commanders from the President and Secretary of Defense^[5] as well as allocate additional funding to the combatant commanders if necessary.^[6] He also performs all other functions prescribed under 10 U.S.C. § 153 or allocates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in the joint staff under his name.

Assistants

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is assisted by the Director of the Joint Staff, a three-star officer who assists the Chairman with the management of the Joint Staff, an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, the Navy and Marine Corps, and the Air Force, who have been assigned to assist the Chairman with the unified strategic direction, operation, and integration of the combatant land, naval, and air forces.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is also advised on enlisted personnel matters by the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman who served as a communication conduit between the Chairman and the senior enlisted advisors (sergeants major, command master chief petty officers, and command chief master sergeants) of the combatant commands.

Historical

Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN, served as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy (July 20, 1942–March 21, 1949). He presided over meetings of what was called the Joint Chiefs of Staff,^[7] and Leahy's office was the precursor to the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Appointment and rank

The Chairman is nominated by the President for appointment and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate.^[1] The Chairman and Vice Chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch.^[8] However, the President may waive that restriction for a limited period of time in order to provide for the orderly transition of officers appointed to serve in those positions.^[8] The Chairman serves a two-year term of office at the pleasure of the President,^[1] but can be reappointed to serve two additional terms for a total of six years.^[1] In a time of war or national emergency, there is no limit to how many times an officer can be reappointed to serve as Chairman.^[1] Historically, the Chairman has served two terms. By statute, the Chairman is appointed as a four-star general or admiral while holding office^[1] and assumes office on October 1st of odd-numbered years.^[1]

Although the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Omar Bradley, was eventually awarded a fifth star, the CJCS does not receive one by right, and Bradley's award was politically motivated so as to not allow his subordinate, Douglas MacArthur, to outrank him.^[9][10]

In the 1990s, there were proposals in U.S. Department of Defense academic circles to bestow on the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a five-star rank.^{[11][12] [13]}

According to the 2011 Military Pay Table effective 1 January 2011, While serving as Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff/Vice Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff, Chief of Navy Operations, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Army/Air Force Chief of Staff,Commander of a unified or specified combatant command, basic pay is $20,263.50 a month plus additional allowances/pay.

List of Chairmen

Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief (historical predecessor office)

No.	Image	Name	Term of Office			Secretaries serving under:	President appointed by:
			Began	Ended	Days of Service
1.		Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN	July 20, 1942	March 21, 1949	2436	James Forrestal	Franklin D. Roosevelt

Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

No.	Image	Name	Term of Office			Secretaries serving under:	President appointed by:
			Began	Ended	Days of Service
1.		General of the Army Omar Bradley, USA	August 19, 1949	August 15, 1953	1457	Louis A. Johnson George C. Marshall Robert A. Lovett Charles E. Wilson	Harry S. Truman
2.		Admiral Arthur W. Radford, USN	August 15, 1953	August 15, 1957	1461	Charles E. Wilson	Dwight D. Eisenhower
3.		General Nathan F. Twining, USAF	August 15, 1957	September 30, 1960	1142	Charles E. Wilson Neil H. McElroy Thomas S. Gates	Dwight D. Eisenhower
4.		General Lyman Lemnitzer, USA	October 1, 1960	September 30, 1962	729	Thomas S. Gates Robert S. McNamara	Dwight D. Eisenhower
5.		General Maxwell D. Taylor, USA	October 1, 1962	July 1, 1964	639	Robert S. McNamara	John F. Kennedy
6.		General Earle Wheeler, USA	July 3, 1964	July 2, 1970	2190	Robert S. McNamara Clark M. Clifford Melvin R. Laird	Lyndon B. Johnson
7.		Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, USN	July 2, 1970	July 1, 1974	1460	Melvin R. Laird Elliot Richardson James R. Schlesinger	Richard Nixon
8.		General George S. Brown, USAF	July 1, 1974	June 20, 1978	1450	James R. Schlesinger Donald Rumsfeld Harold Brown	Richard Nixon
9.		General David C. Jones, USAF	June 21, 1978	June 18, 1982	1458	Harold Brown Caspar Weinberger	Jimmy Carter
10.		General John W. Vessey Jr., USA	June 18, 1982	September 30, 1985	1200	Caspar Weinberger	Ronald Reagan
11.		Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr., USN	October 1, 1985	September 30, 1989	1460	Caspar Weinberger Frank Carlucci Dick Cheney	Ronald Reagan
12.		General Colin Powell, USA	October 1, 1989	September 30, 1993	1460	Dick Cheney Les Aspin	George H.W. Bush
(acting)		Admiral David E. Jeremiah, USN	October 1, 1993	October 24, 1993	23	Les Aspin	Bill Clinton
13.		General John Shalikashvili, USA	October 25, 1993	September 30, 1997	1436	Les Aspin William J. Perry William S. Cohen	Bill Clinton
14.		General Hugh Shelton, USA	October 1, 1997	September 30, 2001	1460	William S. Cohen Donald Rumsfeld	Bill Clinton
15.		General Richard B. Myers, USAF	October 1, 2001	September 30, 2005	1460	Donald Rumsfeld	George W. Bush
16.		General Peter Pace, USMC	October 1, 2005	September 30, 2007	729	Donald Rumsfeld Robert M. Gates	George W. Bush
17.		Admiral Michael Mullen, USN	October 1, 2007	September 30, 2011	1460	Robert M. Gates Leon Panetta	George W. Bush
18.		General Martin Dempsey, USA	October 1, 2011	Incumbent	51	Leon Panetta	Barack Obama

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by Branch of Service

• Air Force - 4
• Army - 9
• Marine Corps - 1
• Navy - 4

Note: This list does not include Chief of Staff to the CINC FADM Leahy and acting Chairman ADM Jeremiah.

See also

• Chief of the General Staff (disambiguation) (various nations)
• Chief of the Defence Staff (disambiguation) (various nations)
• Staff (military) (various nations)
• List of United States Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by time in office

Notes

External links

• Official Joint Chiefs of Staff site

v · d · e Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Bradley • Radford • Twining • Lemnitzer • Taylor • Wheeler • Moorer • Brown • Jones • Vessey • Crowe • Powell • Jeremiah (acting) • Shalikashvili • Shelton • Myers • Pace • Mullen • Dempsey

v · d · e United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Dempsey (Chairman) • Winnefeld (Vice Chairman) Odierno (Army) • Amos (Marine Corps) • Greenert (Navy) • Schwartz (Air Force) Battaglia (Senior Enlisted Advisor)

v · d · eSenior Officials in the United States Department of Defense Secretary of Defense: Leon Panetta Deputy Secretary of Defense: Ashton Carter Secretaries of the Military Departments: Secretary of the Army: John McHugh • Secretary of the Navy: Ray Mabus • Secretary of the Air Force: Michael Donley Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Martin Dempsey, USA Under Secretaries of Defense: Acquisition, Technology and Logistics: Frank Kendall III (Acting) • Policy: Michèle Flournoy • Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer: Robert Hale • Personnel and Readiness: Clifford Stanley • Intelligence: Michael Vickers Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: James Winnefeld, USN Chiefs of the Military Services: Chief of Staff of the Army: Raymond Odierno • Commandant of the Marine Corps: James Amos • Chief of Naval Operations: Jonathan Greenert • Chief of Staff of the Air Force: Norton Schwartz