n. (Abbr. JCS)
The principal military advisory group to the President of the United States, composed of the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and the commandant of the Marine Corps.
Joint Chiefs of Staff
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Joint Chiefs of Staff (joint)  |
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Joint Staff Pentagon Washington, DC 20318 DC Tel. 703-545-6700 |
Type: Government Agency
On the web:
http://www.jcs.mil
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) ensures the readiness of the US Armed Forces. It serves in a strictly advisory role, and is the second highest military policy-deliberating body, behind the National Security Council. The JCS is comprised of the highest ranking members of each military branch and includes a chairman, vice chairman, and the US Army chief of staff, chief of US Naval Operations, US Air Force chief of staff, and the commandant of the US Marine Corps. The chairman serves as the principal military adviser to the US president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council. The staff has no operational command of US military forces. Established in 1947, it has offices in the Pentagon.
Officers:
Chairman: Adm. Michael G. (Mike) Mullen
Assistant to the Chairman: Paul J. Selva
Director Operations: John Paxton
| US Military Dictionary: Joint Chiefs of Staff |
JCS or J.C.S.
The primary military advisory group to the president of the United States, comprised of the chiefs of each of the armed forces—the Air Force, Army, Navy—and the commandant of the Marine Corps.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
| US History Encyclopedia: Joint Chiefs of Staff |
Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) came into existence in 1942. The JCS consisted of the chief of staff, U.S. Army; the chief of naval operations; and the chief of staff, U.S. Air Force. Their functions were to advise the president on the military, give strategic direction to the army and navy, and facilitate U.S.-British military cooperation. In 1949, an amendment to the National Security Act of 1947 established the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the chairman was to preside over the meetings of the JCS, but had no vote. Moreover, he was not to exercise military command over the JCS or any of the military services. In 1952, Public Law 82-416 authorized the commandant of the Marine Corps to meet with the JCS as a co-equal whenever any matter concerning the Marine Corps was under consideration. On 28 October 1978, Public Law 95-485 made the commandant of the corps a permanent and fully participating member of the JCS.
The Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 prescribed the most important changes in the Joint Chiefs of Staff organization since 1949. It increased the responsibilities of the chairman, naming him the principal adviser to the president, the National Security Council, and the secretary of defense. The chairman was to attend and participate in meetings of the National Security Council, and his responsibilities were expanded to include assisting the president with strategic direction of the armed forces; preparing strategic plans and joint logistic and mobility plans; and advising the secretary of defense on requirements, programs, and budgets, particularly on budget proposals for activities of each unified and specified combatant command. In addition, the act created the position of vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to rank after the chairman and ahead of all other officers of the armed forces.
Bibliography
Millett, Allan R. The Reorganization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: A Critical Analysis. Washington, D.C.: Pergamon-Brassey's, 1986.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Joint Chiefs of Staff |
Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. statutory agency, created in 1949 within the Dept. of Defense. The chairman is the principal military adviser to the President, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense. Members include the chairman, appointed by the President with Senate approval; the chief of staff, U.S. army; the chief of naval operations; the chief of staff, U.S. air force; the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and a vice chairman who manages the Joint Staff. The Joint Chiefs prepare military plans and direct unified and other combat commands under the Secretary of Defense.
| Intelligence Encyclopedia: Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States |
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of the United States is a six-member committee that advises the president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council on military affairs. A chairman, vice-chairman, and the chiefs of each of the four branches of the military form the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The chief of each military branch also serves as manager of his military branch, although these management duties typically fall to the vice-chief. The chairman conducts meetings of the JCS and serves as the primary military advisor to the President.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff was formed following the Arcadia Conference in 1942, during which President Franklin D. Roosevelt and United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill formed the Combined Chiefs of Staff to conduct the war effort on behalf of the United States and Britain. The Combined Chiefs of Staff consisted of senior members of the American and British armed forces. While the British established a Joint Chief of Staff Committee in 1924 in order to advise the Prime Minister and War Cabinet, the United States did not have a central military command in place to contribute a coordinated military plan to the Combined Chiefs. U.S. Admiral William Leahy led an effort to establish an American unified high command. The result of Admiral Leahy's efforts was the formation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, of which he was named Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy.
During World War II, Roosevelt granted great latitude to the actions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the war, the Joint Chiefs acted as executive commanders of troops in the field, answering only to the President. The National Security Act of 1947 formally established the Joint Chiefs of Staff and defined the roles of the chiefs as that of advisers to the President and not as commanders with executive authority.
Despite the statute prohibiting the chiefs from commanding forces, the chief of each armed service branch continued to act with executive authority in originating contact with combat commanders, thus violating the spirit of the National Security Act of 1947. Congress amended the National Security Act in 1953 to prevent such contact with field commanders.
The Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 further redefined the function of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This act went beyond the National Security Act in terms of expressly stating the role of the executive authority in relation to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Goldwater-Nichols Act mandated that the chain of command run from the President to the Secretary of Defense to the combatant commanders. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may transmit orders to commanders from either the President or the Secretary of Defense, but the Chairman may not exert executive authority or command troops.
The act also defined other functions that the chairman may perform. The chairman may consult with the other chiefs and with commanders in the field but may not commit or command forces. He must then present the advice that he receives to the president, secretary of defense, or National Security Council. All members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are presidential advisers and may submit their opinions to the president through the chairman.
The Goldwater-Nichols Act also established the position of vice-chairman. The vice-chairman conducts meetings of the Joint Chiefs in the absence of the chairman and carries out duties as stipulated by the chairman. Originally the vice-chairman was not a full, voting member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The National Defense Authorization Act of 1992 granted the vice-chairman full status, increasing the Joint Chiefs of Staff to six members.
Further Reading
Electronic
United States Department of Defense. "JCS Link, The Joint Chiefs of Staff." <http://www.dtic.mil/jcs/> (May 5,2003).
| Weapons Dictionary: Joint Chiefs of Staff |
U.S.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are the heads of each branch of the U.S. military. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the principal military adviser to the President, Secretary of Defense and National Security Council.
| Marine Corps Dictionary: Joint Chiefs of Staff |
A Department of Defense organization consisting of the Chiefs of Staff of the Army and Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Their chairman is appointed by the President. While each member retains control of their specific service, the JCS commands the Unified Commands.
| Politics: Joint Chiefs of Staff |
A high-level military advisory board in the Department of Defense, composed of high-ranking representatives of the army, navy, air force, and marines. The Joint Chiefs are responsible for formulating military policy and recommending action regarding issues of national security and international relations.
| Wikipedia: Joint Chiefs of Staff |
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a group of military leaders in the United States armed forces who advise the civilian government of the United States. The JCS is defined by statute and consists of a Chairman and Vice Chairman appointed by the President, and the Chiefs of service from 4 of the 5 branches of the military.[1]
Similar organizations, sometimes known as Chiefs of Staff Committees (COSCs) in the Commonwealth of Nations, are common in other countries.
Contents |
History
As the military of the United States grew in size following the American Civil War, joint military action between the Army and Navy became increasingly difficult. The joint Army and Navy cooperation were unsupportive at either the planning or operational level and were constrained over disagreements during the Spanish-American War in the Caribbean campaigns.[2] The Joint Army and Navy Board was established in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt, comprising representatives from the military heads and chief planners of both the Navy's General Board and the Army's General Staff. The Joint Board acting as an "advisory committee" was created to plan joint operations and resolve problems of common rivalry between the two services.[2]
Yet, the Joint Board accomplished little as its charter gave it no authority to enforce its decisions. The Joint Board also lacked the ability to originate its own opinions and was thus limited to commenting only on the problems submitted to it by the Secretaries of War and Navy. As a result, the Joint Board had little to no impact on the manner the United States conducted World War I.
After World War I, in 1919 the two Secretaries agreed to reestablish and revitalize the Joint Board. This time, the Joint Board’s membership would include the Chiefs of Staff, their deputies, and the Chief of War Plans Division for the Army and Director of Plans Division for the Navy. Under the Joint Board would be a staff called the Joint Planning Committee to serve the Board. Along with new membership, the Joint Board could initiate recommendations on its own initiative. However, the Joint Board still did not possess the legal authority to enforce its decisions.
In 1942, President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill established the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entrance into World War II. The CCS would serve as the supreme military body for strategic direction of the US-British Commonwealth war effort. While the UK had the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the United States had no equivalent agency with which to provide the CCS with American services.
Though the Joint Board did exist, its authority and services were of little use to the CCS. Although its 1935 publication, Joint Action of the Army and Navy, gave some guidance for the joint operations during World War II, the Joint Board held little influence in that war. Following the end of WWII, the Joint Board was officially disbanded in 1947.
To fill the need for a coordinated effort and to provide coordinated staff work, Admiral William D. Leahy proposed a concept of a "unified high command" in what would be called the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On 20 July 1942, Admiral Leahy became the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy ("Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States" being the military title of the U.S. President, per Article II, § 2, of the Constitution), and created a staff of the chiefs of staff of the services to serve under him.
The first members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were:
| Name | Service | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy | USN | Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy and Special Presidential Military Advisor |
| General of the Army George C. Marshall | USA | Chief of Staff of the United States Army |
| Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King | USN | Chief of Naval Operations and Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet |
| General of the Army* Henry H. Arnold | USAAF | Deputy Army Chief of Staff for Air and Chief of the Army Air Forces |
*Arnold was later appointed to the grade of General of the Air Force. His rank while serving as Chief of the Army Air Forces was General of the Army.
With the end of World War II, the Joint Chiefs of Staff was officially established under the National Security Act of 1947. Per the National Security Act, the JCS consisted of a Chairman, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (which was established as a separate service by the same Act), and the Chief of Naval Operations. The Commandant of the Marine Corps was to be consulted on matters concerning the Corps, but was not a regular member; General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., Commandant in 1952-55, was the first to sit as an occasional member. The law was amended during the term of General Louis H. Wilson, Jr. (1975-79), making the Commandant a full-time JCS member in parity with the other three DoD services.
The position of Vice Chairman was created by the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 to compliment the CJCS as well as to delegate some of the Chairman's responsibilities, particularly concerning procurement.
General Colin L. Powell (1989-93) was the first and, as of 2009, the only African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Peter Pace (Vice Chairman 2001-05; Chairman, 2005-07) was the first Marine to serve in either position. No woman has ever served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Although the Coast Guard is one of the five armed services of the United States, the Commandant of the Coast Guard is not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is, however, entitled to the same supplemental pay as the Joint Chiefs, per 37 U.S.C. § 414(a)(5) ($4,000 per annum in 2009), and is accorded privilege of the floor under Senate Rule XXIII(1) as a de facto JCS member during Presidential addresses. In contrast to the Joint Chiefs — who are not in the military's operational chain of command — the Commandant of the Coast Guard commands his service. Coast Guard officers are legally eligible to be appointed as CJCS and VCJCS, per 10 U.S.C. 152(a)(1) & 154(a)(1) respectively — which use the collective term "armed forces" rather than listing the eligible services — but none has been appointed to either position as of 2009.
Roles and responsibilities
After the 1986 reorganization of the military undertaken by the Goldwater-Nichols Act, the Joint Chiefs of Staff does not have operational command of U.S. military forces. Responsibility for conducting military operations goes from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands and thus bypasses the Joint Chiefs of Staff completely.
Today, their primary responsibility is to ensure the personnel readiness, policy, planning and training of their respective military services for the combatant commanders to utilize. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also act in a military advisory capacity for the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. In addition, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff acts as the chief military advisor to the President and the Secretary of Defense. In this strictly advisory role, the Joint Chiefs constitute the second-highest deliberatory body for military policy, after the National Security Council, which includes the President and other officials besides the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Director of the Joint Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is assisted by the Director of the Joint Staff, a three-star officer who assists the Chairman with the management of the Joint Staff, an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, the Navy and Marine Corps, and the Air Force, who have been assigned to assist the Chairman with the unified strategic direction, operation, and integration of the combatant land, naval, and air forces.
Current Joint Chiefs of Staff
Uniformed Service Chiefs not Members of JCS:
Notes:
- On 8 June 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recommended that Admiral Mike Mullen be nominated to replace General Pace when the Congressional confirmation of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff occurred that September. Secretary Gates stated that the contentious issue of the military actions in Iraq would shift "the focus of his [General Pace's] confirmation process would have been on the past rather than the future" and that the "divisive ordeal" of the reconfirmation "is not in the interest of the country."[5]
- Secretary Gates also recommended on the same day that General James E. Cartwright (United States Strategic Command) be nominated as Vice-Chairman in order to preserve the "balance" of the representation of each branch of service.
- The Joint Chiefs do not include the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Thad W. Allen. The Coast Guard is normally under the Department of Homeland Security, whereas the other four branches are under the Department of Defense. The Coast Guard may operate under the Department of the Navy during wartime.
Leadership
Chairman
Main article: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer of the United States armed forces [3], and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States. He leads the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comprising the Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chiefs of Staff of the United States Army and United States Air Force, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have offices in The Pentagon. The Chairman outranks all respective heads of each service branch [4] but does not have command authority over them, their service branches or the Unified Combatant Commands [4]. All combatant commanders receive operational orders directly from the Secretary of Defense [5].
The current Chairman is Admiral Michael Mullen, USN, who began his term on 1 October 2007.
Note:
- On 20 July 1942, Navy Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy became the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy (20 July 1942–21 March 1949). He was not technically the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Leahy's office was the precursor to the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That post was established and first held by General of the Army Omar Bradley in 1949.
Vice Chairman
Main article: Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The position of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was created by the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. The Vice Chairman is a four-star-general or admiral and by law the second highest ranking member of the U.S. Armed Forces (after the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff). In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman presides over the meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He may also perform such duties as the Chairman may prescribe. It was not until the National Defense Authorization Act in 1992 that the position was made a full voting member of the JCS. [6]
The current Vice Chairman is Marine Corps General James Cartwright
Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
Main article: Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman
Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey was selected to serve as the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC) beginning 1 Oct 2005. It was to be a newly created position established to advise the Chairman on all matters involving enlisted personnel in a joint environment.
The position of Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is currently vacant.
As the SEA to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Chairman), the SEAC will be an advisor to the Chairman on all matters concerning joint and combined total force integration, utilization, and development. Additionally, the SEAC will help develop noncommissioned officers (NCOs)-related joint professional education, enhance utilization of our senior NCOs on joint battle staffs, and support the Chairman’s responsibilities as directed.
The position has been vacant since CSM Gainey's retirement on 25 April 2008. As of July 2009, no reference is made to the position on the JCS website's menu system.
Directorates of the Joint Staff
- DOM- Directorate of Management
- J1 - Personnel and Manpower
- J2 - Intelligence
- J3 - Operations
- J4 - Logistics
- J5 - Strategic Plans and Policy
- J6 - Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems
- J7 - Operational Plans and Joint Force Development
- J8 - Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment
- where all the Joint Staff's planning, policies, intelligence, manpower, communications and logistics functions are translated into action.jcs.mil
Joint Chiefs of Staff: Civilian Awards
The Joint Chiefs may recognize private citizens, organizations or career civilian government employees for significant achievements provided to the joint community with one of the following decorations / awards. [7]
- CJCS Award for Distinguished Public Service (DPS)
- CJCS Award for Outstanding Public Service (OPS)
- CJCS Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award
- CJCS Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award
- Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award (JCSCA)
- Joint Civilian Service Achievement Award (JCSAA)
Notes
- ^ [1] 10 USC 151. Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions
- ^ a b Allan R. Millett, Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps, 1980;pg. 269, para. 2.
- ^ [2] 10 USC 152. Chairman: appointment; grade and rank
- ^ a b [3] 10 USC 152(c). Chairman: appointment; grade and rank - Grade and Rank.
- ^ [4] 10 USC 162. Combatant commands: assigned forces; chain of command
See also
- Armed Forces Council (Canada)
- Chiefs of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
- Staff (military)- see Modern United States military usage for organization of Joint Staff (J1 through J8)
Further reading
- Gillespie, Robert M. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Escalation of the Vietnam Conflict, 1964-1965. Masters Thesis, Clemson University, 1994.
- Joint Chiefs of Staff, Organizational Development of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1942-1987. Joint Secretariat, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1988.
- McMaster, H.R. Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam. New York: Harper Collins, 1997.
- Perry, Mark Four Stars: The Inside Story of the Forty-Year Battle Between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and America's Civilian Leaders. New Yotk: Houghton Mifflin, 1989, ISBN 0-395-42923-4.
- Rearden, Steven L. History of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. 2 vols. Washington DC: Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 1984.
- Schnabel, James F. History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy 1945-1947. Volume I. Washington DC: Joint History Office, The Joint Staff, 1996.
- Taylor, Maxwell D. The Uncertain Trumpet. New York: Harper & Row, 1959.
External links
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Mentioned in
- JCS (abbreviation)
- Army and Navy Staff College
- JCS
- Joint War Plans Committee
- Powell, Colin Luther (American general)
- Operation Barrel Roll
- Chief of Naval Operations
- J-2 (intelligence)
- JIC (intelligence)
- Henry Shelton
- Armed Forces Policy Council
- joint tactics, techniques, and procedures
- Key West Agreement
- National Defense Authorization Act
