Office of the Secretary of Defense

Office of the Secretary of Defense
Name	Office of the Secretary of Defense
Formed	1947
Jurisdiction	United States federal executive branch
Headquarters	The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
Chief1 name	Secretary of Defense
Parent agency	Department of Defense

Contents

Office of the Secretary of Defense is the principal civilian staff element that supports the Secretary of Defense in supervising the United States Armed Forces, advising the President of the United States, and implementing national security policy. Established under the National Security Act of 1947, the office coordinates among the Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other executive departments such as the Department of State, Department of the Treasury, and Department of Homeland Security. Its functions intersect with institutions including the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council, and the United States Congress.

History

The office traces origins to wartime coordination efforts led by figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman and was codified by the National Security Act of 1947 during the aftermath of World War II and the onset of the Cold War. Early leaders dealt with integration issues involving the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy, and the newly created United States Air Force following the National Security Act of 1947. Cold War crises, including the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, shaped institutional development and produced legislative responses like the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. Post-Cold War transitions involved engagements in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, which prompted reforms in acquisition, force posture, and joint operations. Contemporary history has seen interactions with the International Criminal Court, the United Nations Security Council, and alliances like NATO and treaties such as the North Atlantic Treaty affecting force deployment and interoperability.

The office includes civilian leadership positions reporting to the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense, supported by offices such as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. It incorporates directorates handling strategy, intelligence, logistics, and finance and liaises with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and combatant commands like United States Central Command and United States European Command. The organizational chart reflects statutory relationships defined in the Goldwater-Nichols Act and interfaces with the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and congressional committees such as the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Support elements include the General Counsel of the Department of Defense, the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs.

The office formulates defense policy and provides the President of the United States and the National Security Council with analysis on strategic threats including state actors like the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, non-state actors like al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and challenges in domains such as cyberspace involving actors like North Korea and transnational issues like piracy off Horn of Africa. Responsibilities include acquisition programs overseen with contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon Technologies, force readiness coordination with the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force, and United States Space Force, and coordination on arms control instruments like the New START Treaty and export controls under the Arms Export Control Act. It also manages responses to natural disasters in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and supports international operations under mandates from bodies like the United Nations.

Principal office holders are the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense, confirmed through United States Senate advice and consent following nomination by the President of the United States. Succession and continuity plans align with statutes such as the Presidential Succession Act and internal orders for contingencies alongside the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). Notable secretaries include James Forrestal, Robert A. Lovett, Donald Rumsfeld, William Perry, Ash Carter, Chuck Hagel, and Lloyd Austin, each interacting with administrations from Truman administration through the Biden administration. The office has also seen acting officials step in during transitions, subject to rules in the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998.

Budget authority for the office is part of the Department of Defense budget submitted annually to the United States Congress and reviewed by committees such as the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Funding lines include the Base Operations and Maintenance, Procurement, Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E), and Overseas Contingency Operations accounts administered through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). The office oversees major programs including the F-35 Lightning II, Virginia-class submarine, Ford-class aircraft carrier, and satellite programs in coordination with organizations like National Reconnaissance Office and United States Space Force. Audits and financial management practices follow standards set by the Government Accountability Office and the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990.

Policy formulation combines inputs from strategic documents such as the National Defense Strategy, the Quadrennial Defense Review, and the National Military Strategy, integrated with interagency assessments from the Central Intelligence Agency and diplomatic guidance from the Department of State. Decision-making processes involve coordination with combatant commanders, for example United States Indo-Pacific Command and United States Africa Command, and rely on planning constructs like contingency plans and operational directives. Major policy actions have addressed nuclear posture reviews tied to the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, cyber strategy interfaces with United States Cyber Command, and export control policy involving the Bureau of Industry and Security.

Oversight encompasses congressional hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, investigations by the Government Accountability Office, and inspections by the Inspector General of the Department of Defense. Legal oversight interacts with the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and litigation in federals courts, while ethics rules coordinate with the Office of Government Ethics. Public accountability includes reporting to the President of the United States and transparency obligations under statutes like the Freedom of Information Act. International oversight mechanisms involve treaty compliance reviewed by the United Nations and treaty partners within NATO.