| Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | |
|---|---|
.svg) Seal of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | |
 Flag of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | |
| Joint Chiefs of Staff Department of Defense | |
| Type | Highest-rankingmilitary officer |
| Abbreviation | CJCS |
| Member of | Joint Chiefs of Staff National Security Council |
| Reports to | President Secretary of Defense |
| Residence | Quarters 6, Fort Myer[1] |
| Seat | The Pentagon,Arlington County,Virginia |
| Nominator | Secretary of Defense |
| Appointer | Thepresident withSenateadvice and consent |
| Term length | 4 years, not renewable |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 152 10 U.S.C. § 153 |
| Precursor | Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy |
| Formation | 19 August 1949 |
| First holder | General of the ArmyOmar Bradley |
| Deputy | Vice Chairman Director (Joint Staff) Senior Enlisted Advisor (Enlisted Matters) |
| Website | www |
Thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of theJoint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is thehighest-ranking andmost senior military officer in theUnited States Armed Forces[2] and the principal military advisor to thepresident, theNational Security Council,[3] theHomeland Security Council,[3] and thesecretary of defense.[3][4] While the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, the chairman is prohibited by law from havingoperational command authority over the armed forces; however, the chairman assists the president and the secretary of defense in exercising their command functions.[5]
The chairman convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs, an advisory body within theDepartment of Defense comprising the chairman, thevice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thechief of staff of the Army, thecommandant of the Marine Corps, thechief of naval operations, thechief of staff of the Air Force, thechief of space operations, and thechief of the National Guard Bureau.[3] The post of a statutory and permanent Joint Chiefs of Staff chair was created by the 1949 amendments to theNational Security Act of 1947. The 1986Goldwater–Nichols Act elevated the chairman from thefirst among equals to becoming the "principal military advisor" to the president and the secretary of defense.
TheJoint Staff, managed by thedirector of the Joint Staff 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 thecombatant commanders. TheNational Military Command Center (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, the chairman, the vice chairman and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body do not have any command authority over combatant forces. TheGoldwater–Nichols Act places the operationalchain of command from the president to the secretary of defense directly to the commanders of theunified combatant commands.[6] However, the service 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[7] as well as allocate additional funding to the combatant commanders if necessary.[8] The chairman also performs all other functions prescribed under10 U.S.C. § 153 or allocates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in the joint staff.
The principal deputy to the chairman is thevice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), another four-star general or admiral, who, among many duties, chairs theJoint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC).
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is assisted by theJoint Staff, led by thedirector of the Joint Staff, a three-star general or admiral. TheJoint Staff 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. TheNational Military Command Center (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 thesenior enlisted advisor to the chairman, who serves as a communication conduit between the chairman and the senior enlisted advisors (command sergeants major,command master chief petty officers, andcommand chief master sergeants) of the combatant commands.
Traditionally, the chairman serves as the final speaker of theNational Memorial Day Concert held on the day beforeMemorial Day.
TheJoint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) was established by the Joint Chiefs of Staff Act of 1942, which was signed into law on July 1, 1942. This act formalized the advisory body consisting of the senior military leaders of the Army, Navy, and later the Air Force, to assist the president and thesecretary of war (later thesecretary of defense) with coordinating military strategy duringWorld War II.[9]
Before the establishment of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), military leadership was more decentralized, with the service chiefs coordinating independently. The JCS existed as a body of senior military leaders, but no single officer held the position of chairman. Instead, leadership was shared, and the group advised the president and the secretary of defense on military matters.
Fleet AdmiralWilliam D. Leahy served as Chief of Staff to theCommander in Chief of the Army andNavy from July 20, 1942, to March 21, 1949. In this role, he presided over meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,[10] helping to unify military strategy during World War II. Leahy's office is considered a precursor to the position of CJCS, as it began to centralize military leadership and coordination.
The position of CJCS was formally established by an August 10, 1949 amendment[11] to theNational Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. § 44),[12] which restructured the U.S. military after World War II. The first individual to hold the title of Chairman was GeneralOmar Bradley, who was appointed in 1949.
The chairman is nominated by the president for appointment from any of the regular components of thearmed forces, and must beconfirmed via majority vote by theSenate.[2] The chairman and vice chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch.[13] 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.[13] The chairman serves a single four-year term of office[2][14]at the pleasure of the president,[2] with reappointment to additional terms only possible during times of war or national emergency.[2]
Historically, the chairman served two two-year terms, until theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 amended the chairman's term of office to a single four-year term.[14] By statute, the chairman is appointed as afour-stargeneral oradmiral while holding office[2] and assumes office on 1 October of odd-numbered years.[2]
Although the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,Omar 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 ArmyDouglas MacArthur, would not outrank him.[15][16] In the 1990s, there were proposals inDepartment of Defense academic circles to bestow on the chairman a five-star rank.[17][18][19]
Previously, during the presidencies ofHarry S. Truman andDwight D. Eisenhower, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff position was rotated in accordance with the incumbent chairman's armed force service branch. As such, the incoming chairman would be from a different service branch. For example, in 1957, following the retirement of AdmiralArthur Radford as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Eisenhower nominated Air Force generalNathan Twining as Radford's successor. When General Twining retired, Eisenhower nominated Army generalLyman Lemnitzer to succeed Twining as chairman.[20]
In October 1962, PresidentKennedy appointed Army GeneralMaxwell Taylor to succeed General Lemnitzer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This decision — replacing an Army general with another Army general — broke the longstanding tradition of rotating the position between the Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Army. Tradition would have dictated that Kennedy appoint eitherAir Force chief of staff GeneralCurtis LeMay, Chief of Naval Operations AdmiralGeorge Anderson Jr., or Commandant of the Marine Corps GeneralDavid Shoup to the position. Following Maxwell's appointment, the tradition of rotating the chairmanship was discontinued.[21][22][20]
Effective January 1, 2025, according to the Monthly Rates of Basic Pay for commissioned officers, basic pay is limited to the rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule in effect during calendar year 2025, which is $18,808.20 per month for officers at pay grades O-7 through O-10.[23] 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, commandant of the Marine Corps, chief of space operations, commandant of the Coast Guard, chief of the National Guard Bureau, or the commanders of the unified combatant commands.[23] In addition, according to37 U.S.C. § 414, the CJCS receives an additional $4,000 a year to cover expenses related to performing official duties.[24]
| No. | Portrait | Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Service branch | Secretaries of Defense | President |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Leahy, William D.Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy (1875–1959) | 20 July 1942 | 21 March 1949 | 6 years, 244 days |  U.S. Navy | Henry L. Stimson Robert P. Patterson Kenneth C. Royall (of War) Frank Knox (of Navy) James V. Forrestal (1st DOD) | Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman |
Denotes acting capacity. |
| No. | Portrait | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Service branch | Secretaries of Defense | President |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Bradley, OmarGeneral of the Army Omar Bradley (1893–1981) | 19 August 1949 | 15 August 1953 | 3 years, 361 days |  U.S. Army | Louis A. Johnson George Marshall Robert A. Lovett | Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 2 |  | Radford, Arthur W.Admiral Arthur W. Radford (1896–1973) | 15 August 1953 | 15 August 1957 | 4 years, 0 days | U.S. Navy | Charles Erwin Wilson | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 3 |  | Twining, Nathan F.General Nathan F. Twining (1897–1982) | 15 August 1957 | 30 September 1960 | 3 years, 46 days |  U.S. Air Force | Charles Erwin Wilson Neil H. McElroy Thomas S. Gates | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 4 | .jpg) | Lemnitzer, LymanGeneral Lyman Lemnitzer (1899–1988) | 1 October 1960 | 30 September 1962 | 2 years, 0 days | U.S. Army | Thomas S. Gates Robert McNamara | Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy |
| 5 |  | Taylor, MaxwellGeneral Maxwell D. Taylor (1901–1987) | 1 October 1962 | 1 July 1964 | 1 year, 275 days | U.S. Army | Robert McNamara | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 6 |  | Wheeler, EarleGeneral Earle Wheeler (1908–1975) | 3 July 1964 | 2 July 1970 | 5 years, 364 days | U.S. Army | Robert McNamara Clark Clifford Melvin Laird | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon |
| 7 |  | Moorer, ThomasAdmiral Thomas H. Moorer (1912–2004) | 2 July 1970 | 1 July 1974 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Navy | Melvin Laird Elliot Richardson James R. Schlesinger | Richard Nixon |
| 8 |  | Brown, GeorgeGeneral George S. Brown (1918–1978) | 1 July 1974 | 20 June 1978 | 3 years, 354 days | U.S. Air Force | James R. Schlesinger Donald Rumsfeld Harold Brown | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter |
| 9 |  | Jones, DavidGeneral David C. Jones (1921–2013) | 21 June 1978 | 18 June 1982 | 3 years, 362 days | U.S. Air Force | Harold Brown Caspar Weinberger | Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan |
| 10 |  | Vessey Jr., John WilliamGeneral John W. Vessey Jr. (1922–2016) | 18 June 1982 | 30 September 1985 | 3 years, 104 days | U.S. Army | Caspar Weinberger | Ronald Reagan |
| 11 |  | Crowe, WilliamAdmiral William J. Crowe Jr. (1925–2007) | 1 October 1985 | 30 September 1989 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Navy | Caspar Weinberger Frank Carlucci Dick Cheney | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush |
| 12 |  | Powell, ColinGeneral Colin Powell (1937–2021) | 1 October 1989 | 30 September 1993 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Army | Dick Cheney Les Aspin | George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton |
| − |  | Jeremiah, DavidAdmiral David E. Jeremiah (1934–2013) Acting | 1 October 1993 | 24 October 1993 | 23 days | U.S. Navy | Les Aspin | Bill Clinton |
| 13 |  | Shalikashvili, JohnGeneral John Shalikashvili (1936–2011) | 25 October 1993 | 30 September 1997 | 3 years, 341 days | U.S. Army | Les Aspin William J. Perry William Cohen | Bill Clinton |
| 14 |  | Shelton, HughGeneral Hugh Shelton (born 1942) | 1 October 1997 | 30 September 2001 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Army | William Cohen Donald Rumsfeld | Bill Clinton George W. Bush |
| 15 |  | Myers, RichardGeneral Richard Myers (born 1942) | 1 October 2001 | 30 September 2005 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Air Force | Donald Rumsfeld | George W. Bush |
| 16 |  | Pace, PeterGeneral Peter Pace (born 1945) | 1 October 2005 | 30 September 2007 | 1 year, 364 days |  U.S. Marine Corps | Donald Rumsfeld Robert Gates | George W. Bush |
| 17 |  | Mullen, MichaelAdmiral Michael Mullen (born 1946) | 1 October 2007 | 30 September 2011 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Navy | Robert Gates Leon Panetta | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| 18 |  | Dempsey, MartinGeneral Martin Dempsey (born 1952) | 1 October 2011 | 30 September 2015 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Army | Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel Ash Carter | Barack Obama |
| 19 |  | Dunford, JosephGeneral Joseph Dunford (born 1955) | 1 October 2015 | 30 September 2019 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Ash Carter Jim Mattis Mark Esper | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| 20 |  | Milley, MarkGeneral Mark Milley (born 1958) | 1 October 2019 | 30 September 2023 | 3 years, 364 days | U.S. Army | Mark Esper Lloyd Austin | Donald Trump Joe Biden |
| 21 | .jpg) | Brown, CharlesGeneral Charles Q. Brown Jr. (born 1962) | 1 October 2023 | 21 February 2025 | 1 year, 143 days | U.S. Air Force | Lloyd Austin Pete Hegseth | Joe Biden Donald Trump |
| − | .jpg) | Grady, Christopher W.Admiral Christopher W. Grady (born 1962) Acting | 21 February 2025 | 11 April 2025 | 49 days | U.S. Navy | Pete Hegseth | Donald Trump |
| 22 |  | Caine, DanGeneral Dan Caine (born 1969) | 11 April 2025 | Incumbent | 228 days | U.S. Air Force | Pete Hegseth | Donald Trump |
Bradley received his fifth star in 1950 when he became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff so he would not be outranked by MacArthur.
MacArthur, having been army chief of staff before World War II, was senior to everyone on the Joint Chiefs, and some observers felt that Bradley was given his fifth star in order to deal with the vainglorious field commander on an equal footing.
There was some discussion of the proposal to grant the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs five-star rank, as a symbol of his status as the most senior officer in the armed forces.
Promoting the Chairman to the five-star rank and ceding to him operational and administrative control of all U.S. Armed Forces would enable him to provide a unifying vision...
...Chairman's title be changed to Commander of the Armed Forces and commensurate with the title and authority he be assigned the grade of five stars.
