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1 [1] (January 22, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/govesev0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Defense Primer: The Department of Defense The Department of Defense (DOD) was established after World War II by 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. Congress's intent was to, inter alia, provide a Department of Defense ... under the direction, authority, and control of the Secretary of Defense... provide more effective, efficient, and economical administration ... and provide for the unified strategic direction of the combatant forces. Over time, DOD has grown into one of the largest bureaucracies in the world, currently comprising more than 2.8 million servicemembers and civilians stationed in over 4,600 sites across the United States and around the globe. Congress, in its constitutional role, legislates both defense authorization and appropriations bills, and conducts oversight of DOD, through annual budget and posture hearings. The Senate confirms multiple military officers and DOD civilian officials, including the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 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, Section 113, of the U.S. Code 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, Updated January 22, 2025 resource management, fiscal management, and program evaluation. OSD political appointees and civilian employees also help provide civilian oversight of the military services and combatant commands. The joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) The Joint Chiefs of Staff is the preeminent military advisory body in the 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, Section 151, of the U.S. Code, the CJCS is the principal military advisor to the President; the CJCS does not exercise command authority over U.S. military forces. 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 Joint Staff website, the JCS have no executive authority to command. The Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-433 ) states, 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. The Joint Staff supports the CJCS by developing the unified strategic direction of the combatant forces, their operations 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 all five Services as well as Department of Defense civilians. The Mi itary 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, Sections 7013, 8013, and 9013, of the U.S. Code, 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 Services are to staff, train, and equip units for combatant command

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