U.S. Department of Defense

Introduction

TheDepartmentofDefenseisthehighestleadingbodyoftheU.S.ArmedForces.TheServiceDepartmentisthehighestadministrativeleadingbodyofeachservice.Itisresponsibleforpersonnelandadministrativemanagement,armyformation,combatreadinesstraining,militaryservicemobilization,weaponrydevelopmentandprocurement,andlogisticssupportoftheservice.ThecurrentsystemoftheUSDepartmentofDefenseiscomposedoftheOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,theJointChiefsofStaff,3servicedepartments,10jointoperationscommands,16bureausand6professionalorganizationsundertheDepartmentofDefense.ItscenteristhePentagon.TheheadoftheDepartmentofDefenseistheU.S.SecretaryofDefense.

AccordingtotheU.S.Constitution,thePresidentconcurrentlyservesasthecommander-in-chiefofthearmedforcesandisthesupremecommanderoftheentirearmy.ThePresidentexercisesadministrativeleadershipovertheentirearmythroughthethreemilitarydivisionsoftheMinistryofNationalDefense.TheUnitedStates'NationalSecurityActof1947decidedtoestablishanationalmilitarydepartment,butbecauseitsstatusisequivalenttothemilitarydepartment,itcannotplayaroleincommandingtheentiremilitary.TheamendmenttotheNationalSecurityLawof1949replacedtheMinistryofNationalMilitarywiththeMinistryofNationalDefense,andstipulatedthatitwasagovernment-levelministry,andthethreeserviceministrieswerereducedtoitssubordinatedepartments,thusestablishingtheMinistryofNationalDefense'scontrolovertheentiremilitary..

TheDepartmentofDefenseisinaccordancewiththeGoldwater-NicholsDepartmentofDefenseReconstructionActof1986passedbytheUnitedStatesCongress(Goldwater-NicholsActof1986).Accordingtothisbill,themilitaryorderisfromthePresidentoftheUnitedStatesthroughtheSecretaryofDefensedirectlytothegeneralsoftheUnitedStates.TheU.S.JointChiefsofStaffisresponsibleformanagingU.S.weaponsandmilitaryequipmentandservingasthePresident’smilitaryadvisers,buttheyhavenocommandpower.

OrganizationalcompositionoftheDepartmentofDefense

TheUnitedStatesSecretaryofDefenseistheleadingofficialoftheUnitedStatesDepartmentofDefense,dealingwithmilitaryaffairs.TheroleoftheSecretaryofDefenseistoserveasthePresident'smaindefensepolicyadviser,andisresponsibleforplanninggeneraldefensepoliciesandotherpoliciesrelatedtotheDepartmentofDefense,andimplementingrecognizedpolicies.IntheUSmilitary,theSecretaryofDefenseisusuallyreferredtoas"SecDef"forshort.TheSecretaryofDefenseandthePresidentjointlyformtheNationalCommandAuthority(NCA),whichhastheexclusiveauthoritytolaunchstrategicnuclearweapons.Allnuclearweaponsaregovernedbythe"two-manrule."Beforenuclearweaponscanbelaunched,boththeSecretaryofDefenseandthePresidentmustagree.

TheSecretaryofDefensehasa"UnitedStatesOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense",whichisassistedbydeputyministersandundersecretariesofdifferentfields,deputyundersecretaries,assistantsecretariesanddeputyassistantsecretaries.Including:procurement,scientificresearch,logistics,supervision,finance,intelligence,personnelandpolicy.

TheappointmentofalltheseofficialsneedstobeapprovedbytheSenate.

TheSecretaryofDefense,theSecretaryofState,theSecretaryofJustice,andtheSecretaryofFinancearegenerallyconsideredtobethefourmostimportantofficialsinthecabinet,calledthe"BigFour".

TheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseiscomposedofsixphysicaldepartments:theOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,theDepartmentofServices,theJointChiefsofStaff,theJointOperationsCommand,theDefenseAgency,andtheDepartmentofDefenseon-siteactivities.

ServiceDepartment

TheDepartmentofWarmanagestheU.S.Army,

TheNavyDepartmentmanagestheU.S.NavyandtheU.S.MarineCorps,

TheAirDepartmentmanagesU.S.AirForceandU.S.SpaceForce.

Serviceemblemsandserviceemblems(7photos)

JointOperationsCommand

RegionalCommand

CentralCommand

EuropeanCommand

NorthernCommand

SouthernCommand

Indo-PacificCommand

AfricanCommand

FunctionalCommand

SpaceCommand

StrategicCommand

TransportCommand

NetworkCommand

SpecialOperationsCommand

JointOperationsCommandLogo(10photos)

NationalDefenseAgency

  • DefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgencyU.S. Department of Defense

  • DefenseCommissaryAgency

  • DefenseContractAuditAgency

  • DefenseContractManagementAgency

  • DefenseFinanceandAccountingService

  • DefenseInformationSystemsAgency

  • DefenseIntelligenceAgency

  • DefenseLegalServicesAgency

  • DefenseLogisticsAgency

  • DefenseSecurityCooperationAgency

  • DefenseSecurityService

  • DefenseThreatReductionAgency

  • MissileDefenseAgency(MissileDefenseAgency)

  • NationalSecurityAgency(NationalSecurityAgency)

  • NationalReconnaissanceOffice

  • NationalGeospatial-IntelligenceAgency)

  • PentagonForceProtectionAgency

NationalDefenseAgencyLogo(13photos)

Otherdepartments

  • AmericanForcesInformationService(AmericanForcesInformationService)

  • NationalDefenseDefensePrisonerofWar/MissingPersonnelOffice

  • DepartmentofDefenseEducationActivity

  • DepartmentofDefenseDependentsSchools

  • DoDHumanResourcesActivity

  • OfficeofEconomicAdjustment

  • TricareManagementActivity

  • WashingtonHeadquartersServices(WashingtonHeadquartersServices)

PastMinisters

LouisJohnsonMarch28th,1949-1950September19th

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GeorgeMarshall,September21,1950,September12,1951

RobertLovett,September17,1951,January20,1953

CharlesOwenWilsonJanuary28,1953-October8,1957

NeilMcElroyOctober9,1957-December1,1959

ThomasGatesJr.December2,1959-January20,1961

RobertMcNamaraJanuary21,1961-February2,19689th

ClarkClifford,March1,1968-January20,1969

MelvinLaird,January22,1969-1973January29

ElliottRichardsonJanuary30,1973-May24,1973

JamesRodneySchlesinger,19737February2-November19,1975

DonaldRumsfeldNovember20,1975-January20,1977

HaroldBrown,1977January21-January20,1981

CasperWeinbergJanuary21,1981-November23,1987

FrankKalucciNovember23,1987-January20,1989

DickCheneyMarch21,1989-January20,1993

LeslieAssPingJanuary20,1993-February3,1994

WilliamPerryFebruary3,1994-January24,1997

WilliamCohen1997January24-January20,2001

DonaldRumsfeldJanuary20,2001-December18,2006

RobertGates,2006December18-June30,2011

LeonPanettaJuly1,2011-February27,2013

ChuckHagelFebruary27,2013-February17,2015

AshtonCarterFebruary17,2015-January20,2017

JamesMattisJanuary20,2017-December31,2018

ActingSecretaryofDefense:PatrickShanahanDecember31,2018-June24,2018

ActingSecretaryofDefense:MarkEsperJune24-July23,2019

MarkEsperJuly23,2019-November9,2020

ActingfornationaldefenseMinister:ChristopherMillerNovember9,2020-January20,2021

LloydAustinJanuary22,2021-

Officelocation

ThePentagonistheseatoftheUSDepartmentofDefense.Viewedfromtheair,thisbuildingisaregularpentagon,hencethename"Pentagon."LocatedinthetownofArlingtononthePotomacRivernearWashington,USA,thePentagoncoversanareaof​​2.359millionsquaremeters,andthebuildingis22metershigh.Theconstructioncostwas87millionU.S.dollars.ItwascompletedonJanuary15,1943andopenedinMayofthesameyear.Itcanaccommodate23,000peopleinoffice.Thereisalargeparkinglotonthenorthandsouthsidesofthebuilding,whichcanpark10,000carsatthesametime.

InSeptember1947,theDepartmentofDefenseestablishedbythe33rdPresidentTrumanoftheUnitedStatesbegantoworkhere.Sincethen,thePentagonhasbecometherepresentativenameoftheUSDepartmentofDefense.InadditiontotheMinistryofNationalDefense,thebuildingalsoincludestheJointChiefsofStaffandthethreeheadquartersoftheArmy,Navy,andAirForce.

Therearebanks,postoffices,bookstores,clinics,telegraphoffices,andvariousshopsinthelobbyonthefirstfloorofthePentagon.TheJointChiefsofStaff,knownasthe"souloftheMinistryofNationalDefense,"isonthesecondfloor.Theofficebuildingonthisflooriscoveredwithagoldencarpet,knownasthe"GoldenHall."TheOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefenseandtheDepartmentoftheArmyareonthethirdfloor.Thereisa"HeroesHall"inthecornerofthecorridoronthethirdfloortocommemoratethewinnersofthe"HighestMedalofHonor"sincetheWarofIndependence.Therearemorethan3,000bronzemedalshanginghere,withtheirnames,hometownsandresumesengravedonthem.Thereisalsothe"memorialcorridor"ofthethreegeneralsofMarshall,EisenhowerandMacArthur,displayingtheirphotos,militaryuniforms,medals,pistols,orderssignedbythem,andculturalrelicsfromvariousperiods.AbovethethirdflooraretheAdmiraltyandAirForce.OnMay12,1993,theU.S.DepartmentoftheInteriordesignatedthePentagonasanationalhistoricalicon.

Officialwebsite

TheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseOfficialWebsiteistheofficialwebsiteoftheU.S.DepartmentofDefense.ThemissionofthiswebsiteistoprovidetimelyandaccurateofficialinformationaboutUSdefensepolicies,organizations,functionaltasks,andcombatoperations.TheservicetargetsincludeUSsoldiers,civilianpersonneloftheDepartmentofDefense,militaryfamilymembers,theUSpublic,theUSCongress,andthenewsmedia.Atthesametime,thewebsiteisalsoaportalandnavigationstationforaccessingtheU.S.militaryinformationnetworktoobtainrelevantinformation.

ThecenteroftheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseisthePentagon,whichconsistsofsixphysicaldepartments,namelytheOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,theMilitaryDepartment,theJointChiefsofStaff,theUnifiedOperationsCommand,theDefenseAgencyandtheDefenseDepartment’son-siteactivities.

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