Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a panel comprising the highest-ranking members of each major branch of the armed services in any particular country. The following information refers to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Armed Forces, but similar arrangements are common in other nations.

Joint Chiefs of Staff: Roles and Responsibilities

After the 1986 reorganization of the military undertaken by the Goldwater-Nichols Act, the Joint Chiefs of Staff do 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 heads of the Unified Combatant Commands and thus bypasses the Joint Chiefs of Staff completely.

Today, their primary responsibility is to ensure the readiness of their respective military services. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also act in an advisory military 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.

Current Joint Chiefs of Staff

Name	Position	Branch
General Peter Pace	Chairman	United States Marine Corps
Admiral Edmund Giambastiani	Vice Chairman	United States Navy
General Peter J. Schoomaker	Chief of Staff of the United States Army	United States Army
Admiral Michael G. Mullen	Chief of Naval Operations	United States Navy
General Michael W. Hagee	Commandant of the Marine Corps	United States Marine Corps
General T. Michael Moseley	Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force	United States Air Force

Note:

General Pace is the first United States Marine to achieve the Chairmanship. On his nomination, Pace said, "This is an incredible moment for me. It is both exhilarating and humbling. It's exhilarating because I have the opportunity, if confirmed by the Senate, to continue to serve this great nation. It's humbling because I know the challenges ahead are formidable."

Leadership

Chairman

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer of the United States military, and the principal military advisor 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.

Although the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is very important and highly prestigious, neither the Chairman nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body have any command authority over combatant forces. The chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the commanders of the several combatant commands. However, the Chairman may transmit communications to the commanders of the combatant commands from the President and Secretary of Defense.

The current Chairman is General Peter Pace, USMC, who began his term on October 1, 2005. See also Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a complete listing.

Note:

On July 20, 1942, Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN, became the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy (July 20, 1942 - March 21, 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

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. ^*

The current Vice Chairman is Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani, USN, who began his term on August 12, 2005.

See also Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a complete listing.