United States Secretary of Defense

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United States Secretary of Defense

The United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
Secretary of Defense
Defense (military)

Defence has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defence implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armour, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy approaching them to initiate close combat....
(SecDef) is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense

United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the Military of the United States....
(DoD), concerned with the armed services

Military of the United States

The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified armed forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed by the second Second Continental Congress to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War....
. This position roughly corresponds to Minister of defense in other countries. The role of the Secretary of Defense is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President

President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
and is responsible for the formulation of general defense policy related to all matters of direct and primary concern to the DoD, and for the execution of approved policy.

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Encyclopedia

United States Department of Defense

Military of the United States

President of the United States

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
, and is a member of the Cabinet

United States Cabinet

The United States Cabinet is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first United States of America President of the United States, George Washington, who appointed a Cabinet of four people to advise and assist him in his dutie...
. By statute the secretary must be a civilian who has not served in the active component of the armed forces

Military of the United States

The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified armed forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed by the second Second Continental Congress to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War....
for at least 10 years. The Secretary of Defense is sixth in the presidential line of succession

United States presidential line of succession

The United States presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office of a sitting president or a President-elect of the United States....
.

History

The position was created in 1947 when the Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
, Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
, and newly created Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Military of the United States and one of the uniformed services of the United States....
were merged into the new National Military Establishment. In the same massive reorganization, the Secretary of War

United States Secretary of War

File:Swearing in of Secretary Dwight Davis.jpgThe Secretary of War was a member of the United States President of the United States United States Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration....
was replaced by the Secretary of the Army

United States Secretary of the Army

The United States Secretary of the Army is a civilian office within the United States Department of Defense with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition, communications, and financial mana...
and, along with the Secretary of the Navy

United States Secretary of the Navy

The United States Secretary of the Navy is the civilian head of the United States Department of the Navy. The position was a member of the President of the United States United States Cabinet until 1947, when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were placed in the United States Department of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy was...
and the new Secretary of the Air Force

United States Secretary of the Air Force

The Secretary of the Air Force is the civilian head of the United States United States Department of the Air Force, a component organization of the United States Department of Defense....
, became non-Cabinet positions placed under the Secretary of Defense. In 1949, the National Military Establishment was renamed the Department of Defense, which remains the current name of the department.

Organization

In the U.S. Armed Forces

Military of the United States

The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified armed forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed by the second Second Continental Congress to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War....
, the Secretary of Defense is often referred to as "SecDef".

The Secretary of Defense and the President together constitute the National Command Authority

National Command Authority

National Command Authority is a term used by the Military of the United States and United States federal government to refer to the ultimate lawful source of military orders....
(NCA), which has sole authority to launch strategic nuclear weapons. All nuclear weapons are governed by this dual-authority - both must concur before a strategic nuclear strike may be ordered.

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

The Secretary of Defense also supervises the six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of military leaders in the United States armed forces who advise the civilian government of the United States....
and the commanders of the ten Unified Combatant Command

Unified Combatant Command

A Unified Combatant Command is a United States joint military Command composed of forces from two or more services, has a broad and continuing mission, and is organized either on a geographical basis or on a functional basis....
s.

Along with the Secretary of State

United States Secretary of State

The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's United States Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in United States presidential line of succession and United States order of precedence....
, the Attorney General

United States Attorney General

The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the government of the United States....
and the Secretary of the Treasury

United States Secretary of the Treasury

The United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense....
, the Secretary of Defense is generally regarded as one of the "Big Four" important cabinet officials.

List of Secretaries of Defense

#	Picture	Name	Term of Office		President(s) President of the United States The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition.... served under
#	Picture	Name	Start	End
1		James Vincent Forrestal James Forrestal James Vincent Forrestal was a United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States United States Secretary of Defense.Forrestal was a supporter of naval carrier battle group centered on aircraft carriers....	September 19, 1947	March 19, 1949	Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . As the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States, he succeeded Franklin D....
2		Louis Arthur Johnson	March 28, 1949	September 19, 1950
3		George Catlett Marshall, Jr. George Marshall George Catlett Marshall was an United States Military of the United States leader, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, United States Secretary of State, and the third United States Secretary of Defense....	September 19, 1950	September 19, 1951
4		Robert Abercrombie Lovett	September 19, 1951	January 19, 1953
5		Charles Erwin Wilson Charles Erwin Wilson Charles Erwin Wilson , United States businessman and politician, was United States Secretary of Defense from 1953 to 1957 under Dwight D. Eisenhower....	January 19, 1953	October 19, 1957	Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David ?Ike? Eisenhower was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a General of the Army in the United States Army....
6		Neil Hosler McElroy	October 9, 1957	December 1, 1959
7		Thomas Sovereign Gates	December 2, 1959	January 20, 1961
8		Robert Strange McNamara Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara is an United States business executive and the 8th United States Secretary of Defense. McNamara served as Defense Secretary during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1968....	January 21, 1961	February 29, 1968	John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1961 until John F.... , Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States ....
9		Clark McAdams Clifford	March 1, 1968	January 20, 1969	Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States ....
10		Melvin Robert Laird	January 22, 1969	January 29, 1973	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the only president to resign the office....
11		Elliot Lee Richardson Elliot Richardson Elliot Lee Richardson was an United States lawyer and politician who was a member of the cabinet of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. As United States Attorney General, he was a prominent figure in the Watergate Scandal, and was controversially Saturday Night Massacre after refusing the President's order to fire special prosecutor Ar...	January 30, 1973	May 24, 1973
12		James Rodney Schlesinger	July 2, 1973	November 19, 1975	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the only president to resign the office.... , Gerald Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974....
13		Donald Henry Rumsfeld Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld is a United States businessman, politician, the 13th United States Secretary of Defense under President of the United States Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st United States Secretary of Defense under President George W....	November 20, 1975	January 20, 1977	Gerald Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974....
14		Harold Brown Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense) Harold Brown , United States scientist, was United States Secretary of Defense from 1977 to 1981 in the cabinet of President of the United States Jimmy Carter....	January 21, 1977	January 20, 1981	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....
15		Caspar Willard Weinberger Caspar Weinberger Caspar Willard "Cap" Weinberger GBE , was an Politics of the United States and United States Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from January 21, 1981, until November 23, 1987, making him the third longest-serving defense secretary to date, after Robert McNamara and Donald Rumsfeld....	January 21, 1981	November 23, 1987	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
16		Frank Charles Carlucci III Frank Carlucci Frank Charles Carlucci III is a former government official in the United States, associated with the United States Republican Party. He was United States Secretary of Defense from 1987 until 1989....	November 23, 1987	January 20, 1989
		None	January 20, 1989	March 20, 1989	George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Bush held a variety of political positions prior to his presidency, including Vice President of the United States in the administration of Ronald Reagan and Director of Central Intelligence under Gerald R....
17		Richard Bruce Cheney Dick Cheney Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the George W....	March 21, 1989	January 20, 1993
18		Leslie Aspin, Jr. Les Aspin Leslie "Les" Aspin, Jr. was a United States Representative from 1971 to 1993, and the United States Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton from January 21, 1993 to February 3, 1994....	January 21, 1993	February 3, 1994	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
19		William James Perry William Perry William James Perry is an United States businessman and engineer who was the United States Secretary of Defense from February 3, 1994, to January 23, 1997, under President Bill Clinton....	February 3, 1994	January 24, 1997
20		William Sebastian Cohen William Cohen William Sebastian Cohen is an author and Politics of the United States from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican Party , Cohen served as United States Secretary of Defense under Democratic Party President of the United States Bill Clinton....	January 24, 1997	January 20, 2001
21		Donald Henry Rumsfeld Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld is a United States businessman, politician, the 13th United States Secretary of Defense under President of the United States Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st United States Secretary of Defense under President George W....	January 20, 2001	December 18, 2006	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
22		Robert Michael Gates	December 18, 2006	Incumbent	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001.... , Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....

Line of succession

In an Executive Order of December 22, 2005, President George W. Bush modified the line of succession regarding who would act as Secretary of Defense in the event of a vacancy or incapacitation as follows:

Deputy Secretary of Defense
Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence

The Under Secretary for Intelligence or USD is a position within the United States government that acts as the principal advisor to the United States Secretary of Defense on matters relating to military intelligence....
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy is the title of a high-level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy is the principal staff assistant and advisor to both the United States Secretary of Defense and the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense for all matters concerning...
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics

The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics is the title of a high-level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense....
Secretary of the Army
Secretary of the Air Force
Secretary of the Navy

Living Former Secretaries of Defense

8th - Robert Strange McNamara
Robert McNamara

Robert Strange McNamara is an United States business executive and the 8th United States Secretary of Defense. McNamara served as Defense Secretary during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1968....
10th - Melvin Robert Laird
12th - James Rodney Schlesinger
13th and 21st - Donald Henry Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Henry Rumsfeld is a United States businessman, politician, the 13th United States Secretary of Defense under President of the United States Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st United States Secretary of Defense under President George W....
14th - Harold Brown
Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)

Harold Brown , United States scientist, was United States Secretary of Defense from 1977 to 1981 in the cabinet of President of the United States Jimmy Carter....
16th - Frank Charles Carlucci III
Frank Carlucci

Frank Charles Carlucci III is a former government official in the United States, associated with the United States Republican Party. He was United States Secretary of Defense from 1987 until 1989....
17th - Richard Bruce Cheney
Dick Cheney

Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the George W....
19th - William James Perry
William Perry

William James Perry is an United States businessman and engineer who was the United States Secretary of Defense from February 3, 1994, to January 23, 1997, under President Bill Clinton....
20th - William Sebastian Cohen
William Cohen

William Sebastian Cohen is an author and Politics of the United States from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican Party , Cohen served as United States Secretary of Defense under Democratic Party President of the United States Bill Clinton....

Footnotes

External links

– Includes the Secretary of Defense