Chief of Staff of the United States Army

The Flag of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army

The Chief of Staff of the United States Army (CSA) is the professional head of the United States Army who is responsible for ensuring readiness of the Army. As with the other military service chiefs, he has no operational command authority. However, under 10 U.S.C. § 743, the chief of Staff of the Army is by default the highest ranking officer in the Army (save the chairman or vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, should they be Army officers). He is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and is the chief military adviser to the President of the United States on Army matters.

The Chief of Staff of the United States Army assists the Secretary of the Army in the Secretary's external affairs functions, including presenting and justifying Army policies, plans, programs, and budgets to the Secretary of Defense, executive branch, and Congress. The Chief of Staff also directs the Inspector General to perform inspections and investigations as required. The Chief of Staff also presides over the Army Staff and represents Army capabilities, requirements, policy, plans, and programs in Joint fora.^[1]

Originally, the officer who was appointed chief of Staff did not have to be in senior rank because he did not have to wait to be appointed until the end of his career. Since the Army has capped all officers with a maximum age set by rank, most chiefs of Staff have been four star generals. 10 U.S.C. § 3033(b) requires all chiefs of staff to be a four star general while holding the position. The current occupant of the office is General George Casey. Prior to 1903, the military head of the Army was the Commanding General of the United States Army.

U.S. Army Chiefs of Staff

1. LTG Samuel Young (15 August 1903 – 8 January 1904)
2. LTG Adna R. Chaffee (19 August 1904 – 14 January 1906)
3. LTG John C. Bates (15 January 1906 – 13 April 1906)
4. MG J. Franklin Bell (14 April 1906 – 21 April 1910)
5. MG Leonard Wood (22 April 1910 – 21 April 1914)
6. MG William W. Wotherspoon (22 April 1914-16 November 1914)
7. MG Hugh L. Scott (17 November 1914 – 22 September 1917)
8. GEN Tasker H. Bliss (23 September 1917 – 19 May 1918)
9. GEN Peyton C. March (20 May 1918 – 30 June 1921)
10. Gen of the Armies John J. Pershing (1 July 1921 – 13 September 1924)
11. MG John L. Hines (14 September 1924 – 20 November 1926)
12. GEN Charles P. Summerall (21 November 1926 – 20 November 1930)
13. GEN Douglas MacArthur (21 November 1930 – 1 October 1935)
14. GEN Malin Craig (2 October 1935 – 31 August 1939)
15. GA George C. Marshall (1 September 1939 – 18 November 1945)
16. GA Dwight D. Eisenhower (19 November 1945 – 6 February 1948)
17. GEN Omar N. Bradley (7 February 1948 – 15 August 1949)
18. GEN J. Lawton Collins (16 August 1949 – 14 August 1953)
19. GEN Matthew B. Ridgway (15 August 1953 – 29 June 1955)
20. GEN Maxwell D. Taylor (30 June 1955 – 30 June 1959)
21. GEN Lyman L. Lemnitzer (1 July 1959 – 30 September 1960)
22. GEN George H. Decker (1 October 1960 – 30 September 1962)
23. GEN Earle G. Wheeler (1 October 1962 – 2 July 1964)
24. GEN Harold K. Johnson (3 July 1964 – 2 July 1968)
25. GEN William C. Westmoreland (3 July 1968 – 30 June 1972)
    GEN Bruce Palmer, Jr. (Acting) (1 July 1972-11 October 1972)
26. GEN Creighton W. Abrams (12 October 1972 – 4 September 1974)
27. GEN Frederick C. Weyand (3 October 1974 – 30 September 1976)
28. GEN Bernard W. Rogers (1 October 1976 – 21 June 1979)
29. GEN Edward C. Meyer (22 June 1979 – 21 June 1983)
30. GEN John A. Wickham, Jr. (23 July 1983 – 23 June 1987)
31. GEN Carl E. Vuono (23 June 1987 – 21 June 1991)
32. GEN Gordon R. Sullivan (21 June 1991 – 20 June 1995)
33. GEN Dennis J. Reimer (20 June 1995 – 21 June 1999)
34. GEN Eric K. Shinseki (21 June 1999 – 11 June 2003)
35. GEN Peter J. Schoomaker (1 August 2003 – 10 April 2007)
36. GEN George W. Casey, Jr. (10 April 2007 – present)^[2]

References

• Chronological List of Senior Officers of the United States Army, in Bell, William Gardner. COMMANDING GENERALS AND CHIEFS OF STAFF 1775-2005: Portraits & Biographical Sketches of the United States Army's Senior Officer, Center of Military History, United States Army, 2005. (ISBN 0-16-072376-0)

Chiefs of Staff of the United States Army
Young • Chaffee • Bates • Bell • Wood • Wotherspoon • Scott • Bliss • March • Pershing • Hines • Summerall • MacArthur • Craig • Marshall • Eisenhower • Bradley • Collins • Ridgway • Taylor • Lemnitzer • Decker • Wheeler • Johnson • Westmoreland • Palmer • Abrams • Weyand • Rogers • Meyer • Wickham • Vuono • Sullivan • Reimer • Shinseki • Schoomaker • Casey

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