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1 1 (March 13, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goveopf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informirg 1h Iegisltve debatesincol1914 Defense Primer: The Department of Defense The Department of Defense (DOD) was established after World War II through the 1947 National Security Act (P.L. 80-253). At the time, some, including President Truman, took the view that the different components of the U.S. military had been insufficiently integrated to wage World War II effectively. The intention of the 1947 Act was therefore to create, for the first time, an integrated institution that combined the Departments of War and Navy, and to establish a policy architecture for overseeing the newly reorganized military apparatus. Over time, DOD has grown into one of the largest bureaucracies in the world, currently comprising more than 2.9 million service members and civilians stationed in 4,686 sites across the United States and around the globe. Congress, in its constitutional role, legislates both defense authorization and appropriations bills, and conducts oversight on DOD. The Senate confirms multiple military officers and certain DOD civilian officials. One of the lessons which have most clearly come from the costly and dangerous experience of this war is that there must be unified direction of land, sea and air forces at home as well as in other parts of the world where our Armed Forces are serving. We did not have that kind of direction when we were attacked four years ago-and we certainly paid a high price for not having it. President Harry S. Truman, Message to Congress, December 19, 1945. DOD's mission today is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security. It does so through five primary sets of institutions, each representing thousands of people and often hundreds of specific offices. * The Office of the Secretary of Defense. * The Joint Chiefs of Staff and Joint Staff. * The Military Departments. * The Unified Combatant Commands. * The Defense Agencies. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Title 10 U.S. Code Section 113 specifies that the Secretary of Defense exercises authority, direction and control over DOD. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) assists the Secretary in exercising such authority in a variety of areas, including policy development, planning, resource management, fiscal management, and program evaluation. OSD also helps provide civilian oversight of the military services and combatant commands. Updated March 13, 2024 The joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) The Joint Chiefs of Staff is the preeminent military advisory body in U.S. national military establishment. Its membership consists of the six military service chiefs (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard Bureau, and Space Force), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS). The JCS regularly convenes to formulate and provide its best military advice to the President, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense. According to Title 10, U.S.C., §151, the Chairman is the principal military advisor to the President. The CJCS therefore has statutory responsibility to present his or her counsel-as well as any dissenting views from other members of the JCS-to senior leaders in the U.S. national security establishment. Per the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-433 ),The chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense; and from the Secretary of Defense to the commander of the combatant command. While the CJCS is to plan, coordinate, and oversee military operations involving U.S. forces, according to the JCS website, the JCS have no executive authority to command combatant forces. The CJCS is supported by the Joint Staff, which assists in developing the unified strategic direction of the combatant forces, their operation under unified command, and their integration into an efficient team of land, naval, and air forces. The Joint Staff is composed of officers and noncommissioned officers from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force, as well as Department of Defense civilians. The Military Departments There are three military departments: the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Marine Corps, mainly an amphibious force, is part of the Department of the Navy. The Space Force is part of the Department of the Air Force. The departments organize, train, and equip the military forces utilized by the combatant commands. According to Title 10, U.S. Code, Sections 7013, 8013, and 9013, each department is led by a civilian service secretary who is responsible for, and has the authority necessary to conduct, all affairs of the Department. Each service has a service chief (a senior military officer in the grade of 0-10, General or Admiral) who performs his or her duties under the authority, direction, and control of the department's secretary and is directly responsible to the Secretary. In terms of roles and responsibilities, the Army trains and equips forces to provide ready, prompt, and sustained land dominance across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force. The Navy trains, and equips combat-ready maritime forces capable of winning wars, deterring

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