The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense, th ...

(JCS). They are the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States of America. The armed forces consists of six Military branch, service branches: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, Uni ...

Chairman: appointment; grade and rank and the principal military advisor to the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) A president is a leader of an organization, company, community, club, trade union, university or other group. The relationship between a president and a Chief Executive Officer, chi ...

, the

National Security Council#REDIRECT National security council A National Security Council (NSC) is usually an executive branch The executive is the branch of government exercising authority in and holding Moral responsibility, responsibility for the governance of a State ...

, - Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions the

Homeland Security Council The Homeland Security Council (HSC) is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States The Executive Office of the President (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the ...

, and the

secretary of defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force ...

. Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 While the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, the chairman is prohibited by law from having operational command authority over the armed forces; however, the chairman does assist the president and the secretary of defense in exercising their command functions. The chairman convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs, an advisory body within the

Department of DefenseDepartment of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) The Department of Defence (DoD) is a Government department, department of the Government of Australia charged with ...

comprising the chairman, the

vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS) is, by U.S. law, the second highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the of the . The armed forces consists of six : the , ...

, the chief of staff of the Army, the

commandant of the Marine Corps The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service bran ...

, the

chief of naval operations#REDIRECT Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navy, navies, a ...

, the chief of staff of the Air Force, the

chief of space operations The chief of space operations (CSO) is a statutory office () held by a general in the United States Space Force, and is the principal military adviser to the secretary of the Air Force for Space Force operations; and is in a separate capacity a ...

, and the

chief of the National Guard Bureau The chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) is the highest-ranking officer of the National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National ...

. The post of a statutory and permanent Joint Chiefs of Staff chair was created by the 1949 amendments to the

National Security Act of 1947 The National Security Act of 1947 (Act of Congress, Pub.L.]80-253 61 United States Statutes at Large, Stat.]495 enacted July 26, 1947) was a law enacting major restructuring of the Federal government of the United States, United States government' ...

. The 1986

Goldwater–Nichols Act The Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of October 4, 1986 , (signed by President Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician who served as the 40th presiden ...

elevated the chairman from the

first among equals ''Primus inter pares'' ( grc, πρῶτος μεταξὺ ἴσων, ) is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unoff ...

to becoming the "principal military advisor" to the president and the secretary of defense. The

Joint Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense, th ...

, managed by the

director of the Joint Staff The director of the Joint Staff (DJS) is a three-star officer who assists the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense The U ...

and consisting of military personnel from all the services, assists the chairman in fulfilling his duties to the president and secretary of defense, and functions as a conduit and collector of information between the chairman and the combatant commanders. The

National Military Command Center The National Military Command Center (NMCC) is a The Pentagon, Pentagon command and communications center for the National Command Authority (United States), National Command Authority (i.e., the President of the United States and the United State ...

(NMCC) is part of the Joint Staff operations directorate (J-3). Although the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered very important and highly prestigious, neither the chairman, the vice chairman, nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body has any command authority over combatant forces. The

places the operational

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

from the

to the

directly to the commanders of the

unified combatant command A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command A command in military terminology Military terminology refers to the terms and language of military A military, also known colle ...

s. However the services chiefs do have authority over personnel assignments and oversight over resources and personnel allocated to the combatant commands within their respective services (derived from the service secretaries). The chairman may also transmit communications to the combatant commanders from the president and secretary of defense as well as allocate additional funding to the combatant commanders if necessary. The chairman also performs all other functions prescribed under or allocates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in the joint staff under his or her name.

Organization and assistants

The principal deputy to the chairman is the

(VCJCS), another four-star general or admiral, who among many duties chairs the

Joint Requirements Oversight CouncilPart of the United States Department of Defense acquisition process, the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) reviews programs designated as JROC interest and supports the acquisition review process in accordance with law (). The JROC accompli ...

(JROC). The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is assisted by the

, led by the

, a three-star general or admiral. The

is an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force who have been assigned to assist the chairman with the unified strategic direction, operation, and integration of the combatant land, naval, air, and space forces. The

(NMCC) is part of the Joint Staff operations directorate (J-3). The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is also advised on enlisted personnel matters by the

senior enlisted advisor to the chairman The senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense The United States Department of De ...

, who serves as a communication conduit between the chairman and the senior enlisted advisors ( command sergeants major, command master chief petty officers, and command chief master sergeants) of the combatant commands.

Precursor

Fleet Admiral An admiral of the fleet or fleet admiral (equivalent rank to admiral of the navy or grand admiral) is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments. It is usually a rank ...

William D. Leahy, USN, served as the chief of staff to the commander in chief of the Army and Navy from 20 July 1942 to 21 March 1949. He presided over meetings of what was called the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Leahy's office was the precursor to the post of ''Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff'', created in 1949.

Appointment and rank

The chairman is nominated by the president for appointment from any of the regular components of the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between State (polity), states, governments, Society, societies, or pa ...

, and must be

confirmed A woodcut depicting the confirmation of Lutheran youth In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. It is an affirmation of commitment and belief. Those bei ...

via majority vote by the

Senate The Curia Julia in the Roman Forum ">Roman_Forum.html" ;"title="Curia Julia in the Roman Forum">Curia Julia in the Roman Forum A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Debating chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislatu ...

. The chairman and vice chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch. - Vice Chairman However, the president may waive that restriction for a limited period of time in order to provide for the orderly transition of officers appointed to serve in those positions. The chairman serves a single four-year term of officePublic Law 114–328
- The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 increased the term length Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from two years to four years.

at the pleasure of the president The word at is an English word, which may act as a preposition. AT (or similar) may also refer to: Geography Austria * Austria (ISO 2-letter country code) * .at, Internet country code top-level domain United States * Atchison County, Kans ...

, with reappointment to additional terms only possible during times of war or national emergency. Historically, the chairman served two two-year terms, until the

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (; NDAA 2017Pub.L. 114-328 is a United States federal law specifying the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) for Fiscal Year 2017. History ''Nationa ...

amended the chairman's term of office to a single four-year term. By statute, the chairman is appointed as a four-star

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, or marines Marines or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate on Littoral Zone, littoral zone in suppo ...

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navy, navies, and in many navies is the highest rank. In the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general officer, general in ...

while holding office and assumes office on October 1 of odd-numbered years. General George S

Although the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. Bradley ...

, was eventually awarded a fifth star, the CJCS does not receive one by right, and Bradley's award was so that his subordinate, General of the Army

Douglas MacArthur , birth_date = , birth_place = Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Lit ...

, would not outrank him. In the 1990s, there were proposals in

academic circles to bestow on the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a five-star rank. Previously during the presidency of

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the ...

and

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer An officer is a member of an armed forces or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. In its broadest sense, the term " ...

, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff position was rotated in accordance with the incumbent chairman's armed force service branch. In this rotation, the incoming chairman would be from a different service branch. For example, in 1957, following the retirement of Admiral Arthur W. Radford as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Eisenhower nominated United States Air Force general Nathan F. Twining as Radford's successor. When General Twining retired, Eisenhower nominated Army general Lyman Lemnitzer to succeed Twining as However, in October 1962, when President Kennedy appointed Army general Maxwell Taylor as General Lemnitzer's successor, Kennedy eventually broke the traditional rotation for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff position between the Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Army. Kennedy replaced a chairman who was from the Army with a general who was also from the Army. At that time, Kennedy should have appointed either

Air Force chief of staff The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase, usually using individual initial letters, as in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or European Un ...

General Curtis E. LeMay,

Chief of Naval Operations#REDIRECT Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navy, navies, a ...

Admiral

George Whelan Anderson Jr. George Whelan Anderson Jr. (December 15, 1906 – March 20, 1992) was an Admiral (United States), admiral in the United States Navy and a diplomat. Serving as the Chief of Naval Operations between 1961 and 1963, he was in charge of the US blockad ...

, or

Commandant of the Marine Corps The commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is normally the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service bran ...

General

David M. Shoup David Monroe Shoup (30 December 1904 – 13 January 1983) was a general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, or marines Marines or naval infantry, are typical ...

to succeed General Lemnitzer as the fifth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since that, the traditional rotation was abolished. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was an Army general for three consecutive terms from 1960 to 1970: Army general Lyman Lemnitzer served as chairman from 1960 until 1962. Lemnitzer was replaced by Army general Maxwell Taylor, who served from 1962 until 1964. Taylor was replaced by Army general Earle Wheeler, who served from 1964 until 1970. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was also an Army general for three consecutive terms from 1989 to 2001: Army general Colin Powell served as chairman from 1989 until 1993 and was succeeded by Army general John Shalikashvilli, who served from 1993 until 1997. When General Shalikashvilli retired in 1997, he was also succeeded by Army general Hugh Shelton, who served from 1997 until 2001. With Army general Mark Milley assuming the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October 2019, exactly half of the chairmen—10 out of 20—have been Army generals. According to the 2020 Monthly Rates of Basic Pay (Commissioned Officer) - (effective January 1, 2020), basic pay is limited to the rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule in effect during calendar year 2020, which is $16,441.80 per month for officers at pay grades O-7 through O-10. This includes officers serving as chairman or vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, chief of staff of the Army, chief of naval operations, chief of staff of the Air Force, chief of space operations, commandant of the Marine Corps, commandant of the Coast Guard, chief of the National Guard Bureau, or commander of a unified or specified combatant command.

List of chairmen

Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief (historical predecessor office)

Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by branches of service

* Army: 10 * Navy: 4 * Air Force: 4 * Marine Corps: 2 * Coast Guard: ''none'' * Space Force: ''none''

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:10 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:50 right:160 left:20 AlignBars = late DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1935 till:2040 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1935 Define $now = 2021 Colors = id:cjcs value:rgb(0,0,0) legend: CJCS id:vjcs value:rgb(0.7,0.7,0.7) legend: VJCS id:csa value:rgb(1,0,0) legend: CSA id:cmc value:rgb(0,1,0) legend: CMC id:cno value:rgb(0,0,1) legend: CNO id:csaf value:rgb(0,1,1) legend: CSAF id:ucc value:rgb(0.8,0,1) legend: Combatant_commander id:time value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) Legend = orientation:vertical position:right LineData = layer:back width:0.1 color:time at:1940 at:1945 at:1950 at:1955 at:1960 at:1965 at:1970 at:1975 at:1980 at:1985 at:1990 at:1995 at:2000 at:2005 at:2010 at:2015 at:2020 at:2025 at:2030 at:2035 at:2040 BarData = barset:PM bar:leahy bar:bradley bar:radford bar:twining bar:lemnitzer bar:taylor bar:wheeler bar:moorer bar:brown bar:jones bar:vessey bar:crowe bar:powell bar:shalikashvili bar:shelton bar:myers bar:pace bar:mullen bar:dempsey bar:dunford bar:milley PlotData= width:6 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till barset:PM bar:leahy from:1937 till:1939 color:cno bar:leahy from:1942 till:1949 color:cjcs text:"

Leahy Leahy is a Canadians, Canadian folk music group. The eight band members, all from the Leahy family of 11 siblings, are from Lakefield, Ontario and have been touring Canada and internationally since the early 1980s, when they were known as The Leah ...

" bar:radford from:1949 till:1953 color:ucc bar:radford from:1953 till:1957 color:cjcs text:" Radford" bar:bradley from:1948 till:1949 color:csa bar:bradley from:1949 till:1953 color:cjcs text:"

Bradley Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English. Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular. It is also an Anglicisation of th ...

Bradley

" bar:twining from:1953 till:1957 color:csaf bar:twining from:1957 till:1960 color:cjcs text:" Twining" bar:lemnitzer from:1959 till:1960 color:csa bar:lemnitzer from:1960 till:1962 color:cjcs bar:lemnitzer from:1963 till:1969 color:ucc text:" Lemnitzer" bar:taylor from:1955 till:1959 color:csa bar:taylor from:1962 till:1964 color:cjcs text:"

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) Taylor is a surname used in the British Isles of French name, French origin which came from the Normans, Norman occupational surname (meaning ''tailor'') in France. derived fr ...

Taylor

" bar:wheeler from:1962 till:1964 color:csa bar:wheeler from:1964 till:1970 color:cjcs text:"

Wheeler Wheeler may refer to: Places United States * Wheeler, Alabama Wheeler (also known as Wheeler Station) is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Lawrence County, Alabama, Lawrence County, Alabama, United States. Wheeler had a United St ...

" bar:moorer from:1965 till:1967 color:ucc bar:moorer from:1967 till:1970 color:cno bar:moorer from:1970 till:1974 color:cjcs text:" Moorer" bar:brown from:1973 till:1974 color:csaf bar:brown from:1974 till:1978 color:cjcs text:"

Brown Brown is a composite color Color (American English American English (AmE, AE, AmEng, USEng, en-US), sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United State ...

" bar:jones from:1974 till:1978 color:csaf bar:jones from:1978 till:1982 color:cjcs text:"

Jones Jones may refer to: People * Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname * List of people with surname Jones * Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter Arts and entertainment * Jones (Animal Farm), Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human chara ...

" bar:vessey from:1982 till:1985 color:cjcs text:" Vessey" bar:crowe from:1983 till:1985 color:ucc bar:crowe from:1985 till:1989 color:cjcs text:" Crowe" bar:powell from:1989 till:1993 color:cjcs text:"

Powell

" bar:shalikashvili from:1992 till:1993 color:ucc bar:shalikashvili from:1993 till:1997 color:cjcs text:"

Shalikashvili Image:John Shalikashvili 1997.jpg, Gen. John M. Shalikashvili at his farewell ceremony on Sept. 30, 1997. The Shalikashvili ( ka, შალიკაშვილი, ) is a Georgia (country), Georgian noble family, originally from Samtskhe in southwe ...

" bar:shelton from:1996 till:1997 color:ucc bar:shelton from:1997 till:2001 color:cjcs text:" Shelton" bar:myers from:1998 till:2000 color:ucc bar:myers from:2000 till:2001 color:vjcs bar:myers from:2001 till:2005 color:cjcs text:"

Myers Myers as a surname has several possible origins, e.g. Old French ("physician"), Old English ("mayor"), and Old Norse ("marsh"). People *Abram F. MyersAbram F. Myers (1889 – after July 1960) was the chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FT ...

" bar:pace from:2000 till:2001 color:ucc bar:pace from:2001 till:2005 color:vjcs bar:pace from:2005 till:2007 color:cjcs text:" Pace" bar:mullen from:2005 till:2007 color:cno bar:mullen from:2007 till:2011 color:cjcs text:" Mullen" bar:dempsey from:2011 till:2011 color:csa bar:dempsey from:2011 till:2015 color:cjcs text:"

Dempsey Dempsey is a surname of Irish origin. Background Dempsey is an anglicised Linguistic anglicisation (or anglicization, occasionally anglification, anglifying, or Englishing) is the practice of modifying foreign words, names, and phrases to mak ...

" bar:dunford from:2014 till:2015 color:cmc bar:dunford from:2015 till:2019 color:cjcs text:" Dunford" bar:milley from:2015 till:2019 color:csa bar:milley from:2019 till:$now color:cjcs text:" Milley"

Gallery

File:General Nathan F. Twining is sworn in as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.jpg, General Nathan F. Twining is sworn in as the third chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1957. File:Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Nathan F. Twining at NATO Conference.jpg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Nathan F. Twining at a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance A military alliance is a formal agreement betwe ...

conference in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,175,601 residents , in an area of more than . Since the 17th century, Paris ha ...

. File:Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown at a meeting following the assassinations in Beirut, 1976 - NARA - 7064949.jpg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown during a press conference at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...

in 1975. File:Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. George S. Brown at Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing.jpg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown with Secretary of Defense

Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, government official and businessman who served as United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under president Gerald Ford, a ...

on January 15, 1976. File:Zbigniew Brzezinski, David Aaron and General David Jones - NARA - 182846.tif, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones with National Security Advisor

Zbigniew Brzezinski Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski ( , ; March 28, 1928 – May 26, 2017), or Zbig, was a Polish-American Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United State ...

and

Deputy National Security Advisor The United States Deputy National Security Advisor is a member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States The Executive Office of the President (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president ...

David Aaron during a

meeting at the

on December 20, 1978. File:Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones lead briefing at The Pentagon.jpg, General David C. Jones, the ninth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presides over a JCS meeting with the commanders of unified and specified commands in the Gold Room, also known as "The Tank", on January 15, 1981. File:The Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1981.jpg, The Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1981. File:General of the Army Omar Bradley and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones.jpg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General David C. Jones with former chairman

on January 20, 1981. File:Defense.gov News Photo 001201-D-2842B-001.jpg, General

Hugh Shelton Henry Hugh Shelton (born 2 January 1942) is a former United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United State ...

hosting a conference in the Pentagon for former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on December 1, 2000.Standing from left to right are: Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret); Gen. John W. Vessey, USA (Ret); Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, USN (Ret); Gen. Shelton, USA; Gen. David C. Jones, USAF (Ret); Adm. William J. Crowe, Jr., USN (Ret); and Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, USA (Ret). File:Joint Chiefs of Staff (December 2001).jpg, The Joint Chiefs of Staff photographed in "The Tank," in

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States The United States of America ...

in 2001. File:Defense.gov News Photo 030814-D-9880W-093.jpg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard B. Myers delivers opening remarks during a town hall meeting at

. File:Defense.gov News Photo 050920-D-9880W-085.jpg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard B. Myers with

Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force ...

during a press conference at

on September 20, 2003. File:Defense.gov News Photo 050629-F-0193C-075.jpg, Chairman of the

General

Peter Pace Peter Pace (born November 5, 1945) is a retired United States Marine Corps General (United States), general who served as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace was the first Marine officer appointed as chairman, and the first Marin ...

testifies before the

Senate Armed Services Committee , Carl Levin (chair), and John McCain, listen to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus deliver his opening remarks for the fiscal year 2010 budget request in June 2009. File:At table to the right, from left, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Adm. ...

on June 29, 2005. File:2007 Coca-Cola 600 - Gen. Peter Pace, Lynne Pace applause - 070527-F-0193C-025.JPG, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General

and his wife, Lynne, applaud the military demonstrations at Lowe's Motor Speedway in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the city proper, cities p ...

on May 27, 2007. File:Defense.gov photo essay 090113-A-0193C-001.jpg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral

Michael Mullen Michael Glenn Mullen (born October 4, 1946) is a retired United States Navy admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navy, navies, and in many navies is the highest rank. In the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations and th ...

with former chairmen Richard B. Myers and

in 2009. File:Defense.gov News Photo 090218-N-0696M-001.jpg, Chairman of the

Admiral

speaking at

Minot Air Force Base Minot Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air File:Atmosphere gas proportions.svg, Composition of Earth's atmosphere by volume, excluding water vapor. Lower pie represents trace gases that to ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state In the , a state is a , of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a , each state holds al jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its with the . Due to th ...

on February 18, 2009. File:Defense.gov News Photo 090618-N-0696M-046.jpg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral

with Secretary of Defense

Robert Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was originally appointed by president George W. Bush and ...

. File:Milley Sworn In as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 190930-D-SW162-2233.jpg, General

Mark A. Milley

is sworn in as the 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by General

Joseph Dunford Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. (born December 23, 1955) is a retired United States Marine Corps General (United States), four-star general, who served as the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2015 until September 30, 2019. He w ...

, the outgoing chairman, in a ceremony at

Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall is a Joint Base of the United States military that is located around Arlington, Virginia which is made up of Fort Myer (Arl), Fort McNair (SW DC), and Henderson Hall. It is the local residue of the Base Real ...

, September 30, 2019.

References

Citations

General sources

* *

External links

* {{Navboxes , list = {{CJCS {{Current JCS members {{Current US Department of Defense Secretaries {{United States Armed Forces {{Chief of military by country Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, * Chiefs of defence, USA Joint Chiefs of Staff