United States Joint Chiefs of Staff

United States Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior United States Armed Forces officers in the Department of Defense who advise the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council on military matters. The Joint Chiefs of Staff was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1949, following the passage of the National Security Act of 1947, which merged the Department of War and the Department of the Navy into the Department of Defense. The Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 further defined the role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and its relationship with the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States, as outlined in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987.

History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The concept of a joint military staff dates back to World War II, when General George C. Marshall and Admiral Ernest J. King served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and the Chief of Naval Operations, respectively, and coordinated military strategy with the British Chiefs of Staff Committee during the Atlantic Charter and the Casablanca Conference. The National Security Act of 1947 established the National Military Establishment, which included the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force, and created the position of Secretary of Defense to oversee the entire military establishment, as recommended by the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, also known as the Hoover Commission. The Joint Chiefs of Staff was formally established in 1949, with General Omar Bradley as its first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who played a key role in the Korean War and the Berlin Blockade.

Organization and Membership

The Joint Chiefs of Staff consists of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, who are all members of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council and the Defense Acquisition Board. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is supported by the Joint Staff, which is headed by the Director of the Joint Staff and includes representatives from the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as well as liaison officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also works closely with the National Guard Bureau and the United States Coast Guard, as well as the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Northern Command.

Responsibilities and Authority

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is responsible for advising the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense on military matters, including national security strategy, military operations, and defense planning, as outlined in the National Security Strategy of the United States and the Quadrennial Defense Review. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also plays a key role in the development of military doctrine and the Joint Operational Planning and Execution System, which is used to plan and execute military operations, such as the Operation Enduring Freedom and the Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Joint Chiefs of Staff works closely with the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council to coordinate military strategy with foreign policy and homeland security initiatives, including the War on Terror and the Proliferation Security Initiative.

Current and Former Members

Current members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff include General Mark A. Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General John E. Hyten, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as General James C. McConville, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and Admiral Michael M. Gilday, the Chief of Naval Operations. Former members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff include General Colin Powell, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War and later became Secretary of State, and General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., who commanded the United States Central Command during the Gulf War and was a key figure in the Operation Desert Storm. Other notable former members include General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe during World War II and later became President of the United States, and General Douglas MacArthur, who served as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during the Occupation of Japan.

Operational Role and Activities

The Joint Chiefs of Staff plays a key role in the planning and execution of military operations, including counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, such as the Operation Enduring Freedom and the Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also works closely with allied nations, such as NATO and the Australian Defence Force, to coordinate military strategy and operations, including the International Security Assistance Force and the Multinational Force – Iraq. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is also involved in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, such as the Hurricane Katrina response and the 2010 Haiti earthquake response, which were coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Agency for International Development.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces and serves as the principal military advisor to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is responsible for leading the Joint Chiefs of Staff and coordinating military strategy and operations, as outlined in the National Military Strategy and the Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also plays a key role in the development of military doctrine and the Joint Operational Planning and Execution System, which is used to plan and execute military operations, such as the Operation Enduring Freedom and the Operation Iraqi Freedom. Current and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff include General Mark A. Milley, General Joseph Dunford, and General Martin Dempsey, who have all played key roles in shaping United States military strategy and operations, including the War on Terror and the Proliferation Security Initiative.