Introduction
TheDepartmentofDefenseisthehighestleadingbodyoftheU.S.ArmedForces.TheServiceDepartmentisthehighestadministrativeleadingbodyofeachservice.Itisresponsibleforpersonnelandadministrativemanagement,armyformation,combatreadinesstraining,militaryservicemobilization,weaponrydevelopmentandprocurement,andlogisticssupportoftheservice.ThecurrentsystemoftheUSDepartmentofDefenseiscomposedoftheOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,theJointChiefsofStaff,3servicedepartments,10jointoperationscommands,16bureausand6professionalorganizationsundertheDepartmentofDefense.ItscenteristhePentagon.TheheadoftheDepartmentofDefenseistheU.S.SecretaryofDefense.
AccordingtotheU.S.Constitution,thePresidentconcurrentlyservesasthecommander-in-chiefofthearmedforcesandisthesupremecommanderoftheentirearmy.ThePresidentexercisesadministrativeleadershipovertheentirearmythroughthethreemilitarydivisionsoftheMinistryofNationalDefense.TheUnitedStates'NationalSecurityActof1947decidedtoestablishanationalmilitarydepartment,butbecauseitsstatusisequivalenttothemilitarydepartment,itcannotplayaroleincommandingtheentiremilitary.TheamendmenttotheNationalSecurityLawof1949replacedtheMinistryofNationalMilitarywiththeMinistryofNationalDefense,andstipulatedthatitwasagovernment-levelministry,andthethreeserviceministrieswerereducedtoitssubordinatedepartments,thusestablishingtheMinistryofNationalDefense'scontrolovertheentiremilitary..
TheDepartmentofDefenseisinaccordancewiththeGoldwater-NicholsDepartmentofDefenseReconstructionActof1986passedbytheUnitedStatesCongress(Goldwater-NicholsActof1986).Accordingtothisbill,themilitaryorderisfromthePresidentoftheUnitedStatesthroughtheSecretaryofDefensedirectlytothegeneralsoftheUnitedStates.TheU.S.JointChiefsofStaffisresponsibleformanagingU.S.weaponsandmilitaryequipmentandservingasthePresident’smilitaryadvisers,buttheyhavenocommandpower.
OrganizationalcompositionoftheDepartmentofDefense
TheUnitedStatesSecretaryofDefenseistheleadingofficialoftheUnitedStatesDepartmentofDefense,dealingwithmilitaryaffairs.TheroleoftheSecretaryofDefenseistoserveasthePresident'smaindefensepolicyadviser,andisresponsibleforplanninggeneraldefensepoliciesandotherpoliciesrelatedtotheDepartmentofDefense,andimplementingrecognizedpolicies.IntheUSmilitary,theSecretaryofDefenseisusuallyreferredtoas"SecDef"forshort.TheSecretaryofDefenseandthePresidentjointlyformtheNationalCommandAuthority(NCA),whichhastheexclusiveauthoritytolaunchstrategicnuclearweapons.Allnuclearweaponsaregovernedbythe"two-manrule."Beforenuclearweaponscanbelaunched,boththeSecretaryofDefenseandthePresidentmustagree.
TheSecretaryofDefensehasa"UnitedStatesOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense",whichisassistedbydeputyministersandundersecretariesofdifferentfields,deputyundersecretaries,assistantsecretariesanddeputyassistantsecretaries.Including:procurement,scientificresearch,logistics,supervision,finance,intelligence,personnelandpolicy.
TheappointmentofalltheseofficialsneedstobeapprovedbytheSenate.
TheSecretaryofDefense,theSecretaryofState,theSecretaryofJustice,andtheSecretaryofFinancearegenerallyconsideredtobethefourmostimportantofficialsinthecabinet,calledthe"BigFour".
TheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseiscomposedofsixphysicaldepartments:theOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,theDepartmentofServices,theJointChiefsofStaff,theJointOperationsCommand,theDefenseAgency,andtheDepartmentofDefenseon-siteactivities.
ServiceDepartment
TheDepartmentofWarmanagestheU.S.Army,
TheNavyDepartmentmanagestheU.S.NavyandtheU.S.MarineCorps,
TheAirDepartmentmanagesU.S.AirForceandU.S.SpaceForce.
Serviceemblemsandserviceemblems(7photos)
JointOperationsCommand
RegionalCommand
CentralCommand
EuropeanCommand
NorthernCommand
SouthernCommand
Indo-PacificCommand
AfricanCommand
FunctionalCommand
SpaceCommand
StrategicCommand
TransportCommand
NetworkCommand
SpecialOperationsCommand
JointOperationsCommandLogo(10photos)
NationalDefenseAgency
DefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency
DefenseCommissaryAgency
DefenseContractAuditAgency
DefenseContractManagementAgency
DefenseFinanceandAccountingService
DefenseInformationSystemsAgency
DefenseIntelligenceAgency
DefenseLegalServicesAgency
DefenseLogisticsAgency
DefenseSecurityCooperationAgency
DefenseSecurityService
DefenseThreatReductionAgency
MissileDefenseAgency(MissileDefenseAgency)
NationalSecurityAgency(NationalSecurityAgency)
NationalReconnaissanceOffice
NationalGeospatial-IntelligenceAgency)
PentagonForceProtectionAgency
NationalDefenseAgencyLogo(13photos)
Otherdepartments
AmericanForcesInformationService(AmericanForcesInformationService)
NationalDefenseDefensePrisonerofWar/MissingPersonnelOffice
DepartmentofDefenseEducationActivity
DepartmentofDefenseDependentsSchools
DoDHumanResourcesActivity
OfficeofEconomicAdjustment
TricareManagementActivity
WashingtonHeadquartersServices(WashingtonHeadquartersServices)
PastMinisters
LouisJohnsonMarch28th,1949-1950September19th
p>GeorgeMarshall,September21,1950,September12,1951
RobertLovett,September17,1951,January20,1953
CharlesOwenWilsonJanuary28,1953-October8,1957
NeilMcElroyOctober9,1957-December1,1959
ThomasGatesJr.December2,1959-January20,1961
RobertMcNamaraJanuary21,1961-February2,19689th
ClarkClifford,March1,1968-January20,1969
MelvinLaird,January22,1969-1973January29
ElliottRichardsonJanuary30,1973-May24,1973
JamesRodneySchlesinger,19737February2-November19,1975
DonaldRumsfeldNovember20,1975-January20,1977
HaroldBrown,1977January21-January20,1981
CasperWeinbergJanuary21,1981-November23,1987
FrankKalucciNovember23,1987-January20,1989
DickCheneyMarch21,1989-January20,1993
LeslieAssPingJanuary20,1993-February3,1994
WilliamPerryFebruary3,1994-January24,1997
WilliamCohen1997January24-January20,2001
DonaldRumsfeldJanuary20,2001-December18,2006
RobertGates,2006December18-June30,2011
LeonPanettaJuly1,2011-February27,2013
ChuckHagelFebruary27,2013-February17,2015
AshtonCarterFebruary17,2015-January20,2017
JamesMattisJanuary20,2017-December31,2018
ActingSecretaryofDefense:PatrickShanahanDecember31,2018-June24,2018
ActingSecretaryofDefense:MarkEsperJune24-July23,2019
MarkEsperJuly23,2019-November9,2020
ActingfornationaldefenseMinister:ChristopherMillerNovember9,2020-January20,2021
LloydAustinJanuary22,2021-
Officelocation
ThePentagonistheseatoftheUSDepartmentofDefense.Viewedfromtheair,thisbuildingisaregularpentagon,hencethename"Pentagon."LocatedinthetownofArlingtononthePotomacRivernearWashington,USA,thePentagoncoversanareaof2.359millionsquaremeters,andthebuildingis22metershigh.Theconstructioncostwas87millionU.S.dollars.ItwascompletedonJanuary15,1943andopenedinMayofthesameyear.Itcanaccommodate23,000peopleinoffice.Thereisalargeparkinglotonthenorthandsouthsidesofthebuilding,whichcanpark10,000carsatthesametime.
InSeptember1947,theDepartmentofDefenseestablishedbythe33rdPresidentTrumanoftheUnitedStatesbegantoworkhere.Sincethen,thePentagonhasbecometherepresentativenameoftheUSDepartmentofDefense.InadditiontotheMinistryofNationalDefense,thebuildingalsoincludestheJointChiefsofStaffandthethreeheadquartersoftheArmy,Navy,andAirForce.
Therearebanks,postoffices,bookstores,clinics,telegraphoffices,andvariousshopsinthelobbyonthefirstfloorofthePentagon.TheJointChiefsofStaff,knownasthe"souloftheMinistryofNationalDefense,"isonthesecondfloor.Theofficebuildingonthisflooriscoveredwithagoldencarpet,knownasthe"GoldenHall."TheOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefenseandtheDepartmentoftheArmyareonthethirdfloor.Thereisa"HeroesHall"inthecornerofthecorridoronthethirdfloortocommemoratethewinnersofthe"HighestMedalofHonor"sincetheWarofIndependence.Therearemorethan3,000bronzemedalshanginghere,withtheirnames,hometownsandresumesengravedonthem.Thereisalsothe"memorialcorridor"ofthethreegeneralsofMarshall,EisenhowerandMacArthur,displayingtheirphotos,militaryuniforms,medals,pistols,orderssignedbythem,andculturalrelicsfromvariousperiods.AbovethethirdflooraretheAdmiraltyandAirForce.OnMay12,1993,theU.S.DepartmentoftheInteriordesignatedthePentagonasanationalhistoricalicon.
Officialwebsite
TheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseOfficialWebsiteistheofficialwebsiteoftheU.S.DepartmentofDefense.ThemissionofthiswebsiteistoprovidetimelyandaccurateofficialinformationaboutUSdefensepolicies,organizations,functionaltasks,andcombatoperations.TheservicetargetsincludeUSsoldiers,civilianpersonneloftheDepartmentofDefense,militaryfamilymembers,theUSpublic,theUSCongress,andthenewsmedia.Atthesametime,thewebsiteisalsoaportalandnavigationstationforaccessingtheU.S.militaryinformationnetworktoobtainrelevantinformation.
ThecenteroftheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseisthePentagon,whichconsistsofsixphysicaldepartments,namelytheOfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,theMilitaryDepartment,theJointChiefsofStaff,theUnifiedOperationsCommand,theDefenseAgencyandtheDefenseDepartment’son-siteactivities.