| Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | |
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.svg) Seal of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | |
 Flag of the vice chairman of the JCS | |
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| Joint Chiefs of Staff Department of Defense | |
| Abbreviation | VJCS |
| Member of | Defense Acquisition Board Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Requirements Oversight Council |
| Reports to | President Secretary of Defense Chairman |
| Seat | The Pentagon,Arlington County,Virginia, U.S. |
| Appointer | Thepresident withSenateadvice and consent |
| Term length | 4 years, not renewable |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 154 |
| Formation | February 6, 1987 |
| First holder | Robert T. Herres |
| Deputy | Director |
| Website | www |
Thevice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS)[1][2] is, by U.S. law, the second highest-ranking military officer in theUnited States Armed Forces,[3] ranking just below thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The vice chairman outranks all respective heads of each service branch, with the exception of the chairman, but does not haveoperational command authority over their service branches.[3] The vice chairman assists the chairman in exercising their duties. In the absence of the chairman, the vice chairman presides over the meetings of theJoint Chiefs of Staff and performs all other duties prescribed under10 U.S.C. § 153 and may also perform other duties that thepresident, the chairman, or thesecretary of defense prescribes.[3]
The 13th and current vice chairman is GeneralChristopher J. Mahoney, who assumed office on 1 October 2025.
Although the office of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered to be very important and highly prestigious, neither the vice chairman nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body have any command authority over combatant forces. The operationalchain of command runs from the president to the secretary of defense directly to the commanders of theunified combatant commands.[4] The vice chairman's primary duties include: "overseeing joint military requirements, representing the military inNational Security Council deputies meetings, and performing other duties as directed by the chairman."[5]
The vice chairman is nominated by the president for appointment from any of the regular components of thearmed forces, and must be confirmed via majority vote by theSenate.[3] The chairman and vice chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch.[3] 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.[3] The vice chairman serves a single four-year term of office at the pleasure of the president,[3][6] and cannot be reappointed to serve additional terms unless in times of war or national emergency,[3][6] in which case there is no limit to how many times an officer can be reappointed.[3]
The vice chairman is also not eligible to be appointed for promotion to chairman, or any other four-star position in the armed forces, unless the president determines that it is necessary in the interest of the nation.[3][6] The vice chairman assumes office on October 1 of every odd-number year, except the assumption of that term may not begin in the same year as the term of the chairman.[6] By statute, the vice chairman is appointed as afour-stargeneral oradmiral.[3]
The position of vice chairman was created by theGoldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 in order to centralize the military advisory chain of command to the president, the secretary of defense, and to the National Security Council. Originally the vice chairman was not included as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, until theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1992 made him a full voting member.[7] Historically, the vice chairman has served two, two-year terms before theNational Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 amended the vice chairman's term length, beginning on January 1, 2021.[6] The same act also set a statutory beginning term date.[6] Prior to that, the position was filled whenever the previous holder left office.
General Richard B. Myers and General Peter Pace were later appointed to serve aschairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2001 to 2005 and from 2005 to 2007, respectively.
| No. | Portrait | Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Service branch | Chairman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Herres, RobertGeneral Robert T. Herres (1932–2008) | February 6, 1987 | February 28, 1990 (retired) | 3 years, 22 days |  U.S. Air Force | William J. Crowe Colin Powell |
| 2 |  | Jeremiah, DavidAdmiral David E. Jeremiah (1934–2013) [a] | March 1, 1990 | February 28, 1994 (retired) | 3 years, 364 days |  U.S. Navy | Colin Powell John Shalikashvili |
| 3 |  | Owens, WilliamAdmiral William A. Owens (born 1940) | March 1, 1994 | February 27, 1996 (retired) | 1 year, 363 days | U.S. Navy | John Shalikashvili |
| 4 |  | Ralston, JosephGeneral Joseph Ralston (born 1943) | March 1, 1996 | February 29, 2000 (appointedSACEUR) | 3 years, 365 days | U.S. Air Force | John Shalikashvili Hugh Shelton |
| 5 |  | Myers, RichardGeneral Richard Myers (born 1942) | February 29, 2000 | October 1, 2001 (appointed JCS chairman) | 1 year, 215 days | U.S. Air Force | Hugh Shelton |
| 6 |  | Pace, PeterGeneral Peter Pace (born 1945) | October 1, 2001 | August 12, 2005 (appointed JCS chairman) | 3 years, 315 days |  U.S. Marine Corps | Richard Myers |
| 7 |  | Giambastiani, EdmundAdmiral Edmund Giambastiani (born 1948) | August 12, 2005 | July 27, 2007 (retired) | 1 year, 349 days | U.S. Navy | Richard Myers Peter Pace |
| 8 |  | Cartwright, JamesGeneral James E. Cartwright (born 1949) | August 31, 2007 | August 3, 2011 (retired) | 3 years, 337 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Peter Pace Michael Mullen |
| 9 |  | Winnefeld, JamesAdmiral James A. Winnefeld Jr. (born 1956) | August 4, 2011 | July 31, 2015 (retired) | 3 years, 361 days | U.S. Navy | Michael Mullen Martin Dempsey |
| 10 | .jpg) | Selva, PaulGeneral Paul J. Selva (born 1958) | July 31, 2015 | July 31, 2019 (retired) | 4 years, 0 days | U.S. Air Force | Martin Dempsey Joseph Dunford |
| 11 | .jpg) | Hyten, JohnGeneral John E. Hyten (born 1959) | November 21, 2019 | November 19, 2021 (retired) | 1 year, 363 days | U.S. Air Force | Mark Milley |
| 12 | .jpg) | Grady, ChristopherAdmiral Christopher W. Grady (born 1962) [b] | December 20, 2021 | September 30, 2025 (retired) | 3 years, 284 days | U.S. Navy | Mark Milley Charles Q. Brown Jr. Dan Caine |
| 13 | | Mahoney, Christopher J.General Christopher J. Mahoney | October 1, 2025 | Incumbent | 17 days | U.S. Marine Corps | Dan Caine |
The positional color (flag) of the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is white with a diagonal medium blue strip from upper hoist to lower fly. Centered on the flag is an Americanbald eagle with wings spread horizontally, in proper colors. The talons grasp three crossed arrows. A shield with blue chief and thirteen red and white stripes is on the eagle's breast. Diagonally, from upper fly to lower hoist are four five-pointed stars, medium blue on the white, two above the eagle, and two below. The fringe is yellow; the cord and tassels are medium blue and white. The design was approved by Secretary of DefenseCaspar Weinberger on 20 January 1987.[8]
Vice chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States | |||
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