secretary of defense

The secretary of defense is the administrator of the Department of Defense and the principal civilian adviser to the President on military matters. The secretary serves as a member of the President's “inner cabinet” of advisers and, by law, as a member of the National Security Council. With the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretary participates in the formulation of military strategy, reviews recommendations of the Pentagon's weapons acquisition committees, and recommends new weapons systems to the President. The secretary has the primary responsibility for preparing the military budget and defending it before military subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. He serves as the principal spokesperson for the administration when testifying before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

The President issues military orders to the secretary of defense, who transmits them through the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the military commands of the service branches. Each command operates under the supervision of CINCs, the commanders in chief of operational forces. Each CINC reports to the Joint Chiefs, who, in turn, report to the secretary of defense and the President. A Presidential decision to move troops, to engage enemy forces, or to use nuclear weapons is always transmitted through the secretary of defense, who may lawfully countermand the Presidential orders if there is reason to believe that the President is not physically or mentally competent to make the decision.

See also Cabinet; National Security Council