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United States Secretary of Defense

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The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet.[5][6][7] The SecDef's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States, who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries.[8] The president appoints the SecDef 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.[9]

United States Secretary of Defense
Seal of the department[1]
Flag of the secretary[2]
Incumbent
Lloyd Austin
since January 22, 2021
United States Department of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense
StyleMr. Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
AbbreviationSecDef
Member ofCabinet
National Security Council
Reports toPresident of the United States
SeatThe Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument10 U.S.C. § 113
PrecursorSecretary of War
Secretary of the Navy
FormationSeptember 17, 1947 (1947-09-17)
First holderJames Forrestal
SuccessionSixth[3]
DeputyDeputy Secretary of Defense
SalaryExecutive Schedule, level I[4]
Websitedefense.gov

To ensure civilian control of the military, U.S. law provides that the SecDef cannot have served as an active-duty commissioned officer in the military in the preceding seven years except for generals and admirals, who cannot have served on active duty within the previous ten years. Congress can legislatively waive this restriction [10] and has done so three times, for George C. Marshall, James N. Mattis, and Lloyd J. Austin, III.

Subject only to the orders of the president, the SecDef is in the chain of command and exercises command and control, for both operational and administrative purposes, over all DoD-administered service branches  – the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force – as well as the Coast Guard when its command and control is transferred to the Department of Defense.[11][12][13][14][15] Only the secretary of defense (or the president or Congress) can authorize the transfer of operational control of forces between the three military departments (Department of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force) and the eleven Unified Combatant Commands.[11] Because the secretary of defense is vested with legal powers that exceed those of any commissioned officer, and is second only to the president in the military hierarchy, its incumbent has sometimes unofficially been referred to as "deputy commander-in-chief".[16][17][18] The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the principal military adviser to the secretary of defense and the president; while the chairman may assist the secretary and president in their command functions, the chairman is not in the chain of command.[19]

The secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of defense, and the attorney general are generally regarded as the four most important (and are officially the four most senior and oldest) cabinet officials because of the size and importance of their respective departments.[20]

The current secretary of defense is retired general Lloyd Austin, who is the first African American to serve in the position.[21]

History

 
Seal of the National Military Establishment (1947–1949)

An 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.

 
Donald Rumsfeld is sworn in as Secretary of Defense by Associate Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart as U.S. President Gerald R. Ford and Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown watch at The Pentagon on November 20, 1975.

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. It renamed the Department of War the Department of the Army, and added both it and the Department of the Navy to a newly established National Military Establishment (NME). The Act also separated the Army Air Forces from the Army to become its own branch of service, the United States Air Force.

A new title was coined by the Act for the head of the NME: Secretary of Defense. At first, each of the service secretaries maintained cabinet status. The first secretary of defense, James Forrestal, who in his previous capacity as the secretary of the Navy had opposed the 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.

As the secretary of defense is a civilian position intended to be independent of the active-duty leadership, a secretary is required to have been retired from service for at least seven (originally ten) years unless a waiver is approved by Congress.[22] Since the creation of the position in 1947, such a waiver has been approved only three times, for Army general George Marshall in 1950, Marine Corps General Jim Mattis in 2017, and retired Army general Lloyd Austin in 2021.[23][24]

Powers and functions

Main article: Organizational structure of the United States Department of Defense
 
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, Air Force chief of staff, chief of space operations, and chief of the National Guard Bureau and the combatant commanders of the Combatant Commands. All 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.[25][26]

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 six under secretaries of defense in the fields of acquisition & sustainment, research & engineering, 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 be awarded only 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. servicemembers who meet the eligibility criteria specified by NATO.[27]

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.[28] 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).

Salary

The Secretary of Defense is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule,[4] thus earning a salary of US$246,400, as of October 2024.[29]

List of secretaries of defense

The longest-serving secretary of defense is Robert McNamara, who served for a total of 7 years, 39 days. Combining his two non-sequential services as the secretary of defense, the second-longest serving is Donald Rumsfeld, who served just ten days fewer than McNamara. The second-longest unbroken tenure was Caspar Weinberger's, at 6 years, 306 days.

The shortest-serving secretary of defense is Elliot Richardson, who served 114 days and then was appointed U.S. attorney general amid the resignations of the Watergate Scandal. (This is not counting deputy secretaries of defense William P. Clements and William Howard Taft IV, who each served a few weeks as temporary/acting secretary of defense).

For precursors to this position prior to the establishment of the Department of Defense, see the lists of secretaries of the Navy and secretaries of war prior to 1947.

Parties

  Democratic   Republican   Independent / Unknown

Status
  Denotes an Acting Secretary of Defense
No. Portrait Secretary of Defense Took office Left office Time in office Party State of residence President
serving under		 Ref.
1Forrestal, JamesJames Forrestal
(1892–1949)		September 17, 1947March 28, 19491 year, 192 daysDemocraticNew YorkTruman, HarryHarry S. Truman (D)[30]
2Johnson, LouisLouis A. Johnson
(1891–1966)		March 28, 1949September 19, 19501 year, 175 daysDemocraticWest VirginiaTruman, HarryHarry S. Truman (D)[31]
3Marshall, GeorgeGeorge C. Marshall
(1880–1959)		September 21, 1950September 12, 1951356 daysIndependentPennsylvaniaTruman, HarryHarry S. Truman (D)[32]
4Lovett, RobertRobert A. Lovett
(1895–1986)		September 17, 1951January 20, 19531 year, 125 daysRepublicanNew YorkTruman, HarryHarry S. Truman (D)[33]
5Wilson, CharlesCharles Erwin Wilson
(1890–1961)		January 28, 1953October 8, 19574 years, 253 daysRepublicanMichiganEisenhower, DwightDwight D. Eisenhower (R)[34]
6McElroy, NeilNeil H. McElroy
(1904–1972)		October 9, 1957December 1, 19592 years, 53 daysRepublicanOhioEisenhower, DwightDwight D. Eisenhower (R)[35]
7Gates, ThomasThomas S. Gates Jr.
(1906–1983)		December 2, 1959January 20, 19611 year, 49 daysRepublicanPennsylvaniaEisenhower, DwightDwight D. Eisenhower (R)[36]
8McNamara, RobertRobert McNamara
(1916–2009)		January 21, 1961February 29, 19687 years, 39 daysRepublicanMichiganKennedy, JohnJohn F. Kennedy (D)
Lyndon B. Johnson (D)		[37]
9Clifford, ClarkClark Clifford
(1906–1998)		March 1, 1968January 20, 1969325 daysDemocraticMarylandJohnson, LyndonLyndon B. Johnson (D)[38]
10Laird, MelvinMelvin R. Laird
(1922–2016)		January 22, 1969January 29, 19734 years, 7 daysRepublicanWisconsinNixon, RichardRichard Nixon (R)[39]
11Richardson, ElliotElliot Richardson
(1920–1999)		January 30, 1973May 24, 1973114 daysRepublicanMassachusettsNixon, RichardRichard Nixon (R)[40]
–Clements, BillBill Clements
(1917–2011)
Acting		May 24, 1973July 2, 197339 daysRepublicanTexasNixon, RichardRichard Nixon (R)[41]
12Schlesinger, JamesJames R. Schlesinger
(1929–2014)		July 2, 1973November 19, 19752 years, 140 daysRepublicanVirginiaNixon, RichardRichard Nixon (R)
Gerald Ford (R)		[42]
13Rumsfeld, DonaldDonald Rumsfeld
(1932–2021)		November 20, 1975January 20, 19771 year, 61 daysRepublicanIllinoisFord, GeraldGerald Ford (R)[43]
14Brown, HaroldHarold Brown
(1927–2019)		January 20, 1977January 20, 19814 years, 0 daysDemocraticCaliforniaCarter, JimmyJimmy Carter (D)[44]
15Weinberger, CasparCaspar Weinberger
(1917–2006)		January 21, 1981November 23, 19876 years, 306 daysRepublicanCaliforniaReagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (R)[45]
16Carlucci, FrankFrank Carlucci
(1930–2018)		November 23, 1987January 20, 19891 year, 58 daysRepublicanVirginiaReagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (R)[46]
–Taft, WilliamWilliam Howard Taft IV
(born 1945)
Acting		January 20, 1989March 21, 198960 daysRepublicanOhioBush, GeorgeGeorge H. W. Bush (R)[47]
17Cheney, DickDick Cheney
(born 1941)		March 21, 1989January 20, 19933 years, 305 daysRepublicanWyomingBush, GeorgeGeorge H. W. Bush (R)[48]
18Aspin, LesLeslie Aspin
(1938–1995)		January 20, 1993[49][50]February 3, 19941 year, 14 daysDemocraticWisconsinClinton, BillBill Clinton (D)[51]
19Perry, WilliamWilliam Perry
(born 1927)		February 3, 1994January 23, 1997[52] / January 24, 1997[49][53]2 years, 356 daysDemocraticPennsylvaniaClinton, BillBill Clinton (D).
20Cohen, WilliamWilliam Cohen
(born 1940)		January 24, 1997January 20, 20013 years, 362 daysRepublicanMaineClinton, BillBill Clinton (D)[54]
21Rumsfeld, DonaldDonald Rumsfeld
(1932–2021)		January 20, 2001December 18, 20065 years, 332 days
(7 years, 29 days total)		RepublicanIllinoisBush, George W.George W. Bush (R)[55]
22Gates, RobertRobert Gates
(born 1943)		December 18, 2006June 30, 2011[56] / July 1, 2011[49]4 years, 194 daysRepublicanTexasBush, George W.George W. Bush (R)
Barack Obama (D)		.
23Panetta, LeonLeon Panetta
(born 1938)		July 1, 2011February 26, 20131 year, 240 daysDemocraticCaliforniaObama, BarackBarack Obama (D)[57]
24Hagel, ChuckChuck Hagel
(born 1946)		February 27, 2013February 17, 20151 year, 355 daysRepublicanNebraskaObama, BarackBarack Obama (D)[58]
25Carter, AshAsh Carter
(1954–2022)		February 17, 2015January 20, 20171 year, 338 daysDemocraticMassachusettsObama, BarackBarack Obama (D)[59][49]
26Mattis, JimJim Mattis
(born 1950)		January 20, 2017January 1, 20191 year, 345 daysIndependentWashingtonTrump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)[60]
–Shanahan, PatrickPatrick M. Shanahan
(born 1962)
Acting		January 1, 2019June 23, 2019173 daysIndependentWashingtonTrump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)[61]
–Esper, MarkMark Esper
(born 1964)
Acting		June 24, 2019July 15, 201921 daysRepublicanVirginiaTrump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)[62]
–Esper, MarkRichard V. Spencer
(born 1954)
Acting		July 15, 2019July 23, 20198 daysRepublicanWyomingTrump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)[63]
27Esper, MarkMark Esper
(born 1964)		July 23, 2019November 9, 20201 year, 109 daysRepublicanVirginiaTrump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)[62]
–Miller, Christopher C.Christopher C. Miller
(born 1965)
Acting		November 9, 2020January 20, 202172 daysRepublicanIowaTrump, DonaldDonald Trump (R)[62]
–Norquist, David L.David Norquist
(born 1966)
Acting		January 20, 2021January 22, 20212 daysRepublicanMassachusettsBiden, JoeJoe Biden (D)[64]
28Austin, LloydLloyd Austin
(born 1953)		January 22, 2021Incumbent3 years, 309 daysIndependentGeorgiaBiden, JoeJoe Biden (D)[65]

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.[66]

Secretary succession

On December 10, 2020, President Donald Trump modified the order of succession for the office of Secretary of Defense in Executive Order 13963. The order of succession is:[67]

# Office
1 Deputy Secretary of Defense
2* Secretary of the Army
Secretary of the Navy
Secretary of the Air Force
3 Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
4 Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security
- Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense**
5 Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
6 Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
7 Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)
8 Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
9 Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
10 Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security;
11 Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment;
12 Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
13 Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)
14 Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
15* General Counsel of the Department of Defense
Assistant Secretaries of Defense
Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation
Director of Operational Test and Evaluation
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense
16* Under Secretary of the Army
Under Secretary of the Navy
Under Secretary of the Air Force
17* 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
General Counsel of the Air Force
*Order of Succession is determined by the seniority of officials in their role.[a]
**Office dissolved on January 1, 2021.[b]

Notes

  1. ^ According to the Executive Order precedence states – in layman’s terms – that appointees designated the same succession number are determined by the order in which the date they were appointed (senate confirmed) to their position. However appointees designated the same succession number and have the same appointment (senate confirmed) date shall be determined by the order in which they have taken the oath to serve in that office.
  2. ^ Congress disestablished the CMO position with the passage of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 effective 1 January 2021.[68]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Trask & Goldberg: p. 177.
  2. ^ "Positional Colors for the Department of Defense". United States Army Institute of Heraldry. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  3. ^ "3 U.S. Code § 19 – Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  4. ^ a b 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. ^ "NATO – member countries". NATO. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  9. ^ 50 U.S.C. § 402.
  10. ^ See 10 U.S.C. § 113. 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 Archived November 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved February 8, 2010; and Marshall Foundation bio Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved February 8, 2010.

  11. ^ a b 10 U.S.C. § 162
  12. ^ Joint Publication 1: II-9, II-10 & II-11.
  13. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 3011
  14. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 5011
  15. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 8011
  16. ^ Trask & Goldberg: pp.11 & 52
  17. ^ Cohen: p.231.
  18. ^ Korb, Lawrence J.; Ogden, Pete (October 31, 2006). "Rumsfeld's Management Failures". Center for American Progress. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  19. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 152
  20. ^ Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch (1997). Congressional Quarterly. p. 87.
  21. ^ "Senate confirms Biden's Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black Pentagon chief". Fox News. January 22, 2021. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Peters, Heidi M. (December 1, 2016). "Waiver of Statutory Qualifications Relating to Prior Military Service of the Secretary of Defense". UNT Digital Library. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Why Generals Need Congressional Waivers To Become Defense Secretary". NPR.org. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  24. ^ Youssef, Nancy A. (January 21, 2021). "Lloyd Austin Receives Waiver Allowing Him to Become Defense Chief". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  25. ^ Department of Defense Directive 5100.01 Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components
  26. ^ DoDD 5100.1: p.1.
  27. ^ DoDM 1348.33, Vol 3: p.39 (Enclosure 3)
  28. ^ 50 U.S.C. § 402
  29. ^ "Salary Table No. 2024-EX Rates of Basic Pay for the Executive Schedule (EX)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 23, 2021.
  30. ^ "James V. Forrestal – Harry S. Truman Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  31. ^ "Louis A. Johnson – Harry S. Truman Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  32. ^ "George C. Marshall – Harry S. Truman Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  33. ^ "Robert A. Lovett – Harry S. Truman Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  34. ^ "Charles E. Wilson – Dwight D. Eisenhower Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office.
  35. ^ "Neil H. McElroy – Dwight D. Eisenhower Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  36. ^ "Thomas S. Gates, Jr. – Dwight D. Eisenhower Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office.
  37. ^ "Robert S. McNamara – John F. Kennedy / Lyndon Johnson Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  38. ^ "Clark M. Gifford – Lyndon Johnson Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  39. ^ "Melvin R. Laird – Richard Nixon Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  40. ^ "Elliot L. Richardson – Richard Nixon Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  41. ^ Cantwell, Gerald T. (1997). Citizen Airmen: A History of the Air Force Reserve 1946–1994. DIANE Publishing. p. 252. ISBN 9781428991620. 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.
  42. ^ "James R. Schlesinger – Richard Nixon / Gerald Ford Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  43. ^ "Donald H. Rumsfeld – Gerald Ford Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  44. ^ "Harold Brown – James Carter Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  45. ^ "Caspar W. Weinberger – Ronald Reagan Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  46. ^ "Frank C. Carlucci – Ronald Reagan Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  47. ^ "II. Secretaries of Defense". Washington Headquarters Services – Pentagon Digital Library. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017. (Deputy Secretary of Defense William H. Taft served as acting secretary of defense from 20 January 1989 until 21 March 1989).
  48. ^ "Richard B. Cheney – George H.W. Bush Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  49. ^ a b c d Department of Defense Key Officials September 1947 – February 2019
  50. ^ "Les Aspin Serves One Year As Defense Secretary". Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  51. ^ "Leslie Aspin – William J. Clinton Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  52. ^ "William J. Perry – William J. Clinton Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  53. ^ "II. Secretaries of Defense". Washington Headquarters Services – Pentagon Digital Library. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017. Sworn in as secretary of defense on 3 February 1994 and served until 24 January 1997.
  54. ^ "William S. Cohen – William J. Clinton Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  55. ^ "Donald H. Rumsfeld – George W. Bush Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  56. ^ "Robert M. Gates – George W. Bush / Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  57. ^ "Leon E. Panetta – Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  58. ^ "Chuck Hagel – Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  59. ^ "Ashton B. Carter – Barack Obama Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  60. ^ "James N. Mattis – Donald Trump Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  61. ^ "PN583 – Patrick M. Shanahan – Department of Defense". Congress.gov. Library of Congress. July 18, 2017. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  62. ^ a b c "Dr. Mark T. Esper – Acting Secretary of Defense". United States Department of Defense. June 24, 2019. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  63. ^ "Letter from Acting Secretary of Defense Richard V. Spencer to Pentagon". USNI News. July 15, 2019. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  64. ^ "Trump administration official Norquist sworn in as acting Pentagon chief". The Hill. January 20, 2021. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  65. ^ "Senate confirms Lloyd Austin to be first Black defense secretary". cnn.com. January 22, 2021. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  66. ^ 3 U.S.C. § 19.
  67. ^ "Executive Order on Providing an Order of Succession within the Department of Defense". December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  68. ^ "Department of Defense Implements Section 901 of the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act". Retrieved January 28, 2021.

General sources

Federal law

Directives, regulations and manuals

Further reading

Primary historical sources

Online sources

 
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