Joint Chiefs of Staff
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a group comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the armed services in the United States armed forces. Similar organizations, sometimes known as Chiefs of Staff Committees (COSCs) in the Commonwealth of Nations, are common in other countries.
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[edit] 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. Following public criticism over the lack of organization between the services in the Spanish-American War, the Joint Army and Navy Board was established in 1903. Composed of the military heads and chief planners of both the Army and Navy, the Board was created to plan joint operations and revolve problems of common concern for the two services.
Unfortunately, the Joint Board accomplished little as its charter gave it no authority to enforce its decisions. The Joint Board also did not possess the ability to originate its own opinions and was thus limited to commenting only on the problems submitted to it by the Secretaries of the Army and Navy. As a result, the Joint Board had little to no impact on the manner the United States conducted World War I.
After WW 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 British-American war effort. Though the British had the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the United States, however, 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 WW II, the Joint Board was officially disbanded in 1947.
To fill the need for 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 July 20, 1942, Admiral Leahy became the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy and created a staff of the chiefs of staff of the services to serve under him.
General Colin Powell was the first and to date only African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No woman has ever served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The first members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were:
| Name | Position | Branch |
|---|---|---|
| Admiral William D. Leahy | Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy and Special Presidential Military Advisor | United States Navy |
| General George C. Marshall | Chief of Staff of the United States Army | United States Army |
| Admiral Ernest J. King | Chief of Naval Operations and Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet | United States Navy |
| General Henry H. Arnold | Deputy Army Chief of Staff for Air and Chief of the Army Air Corps | United States Army Air Forces |
With the end of World War II, the Joint Chief of Staff was officially established under the National Security Act of 1947.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Current Joint Chiefs of Staff
Note: General Pace is the first United States Marine to achieve the Chairmanship.
[edit] Leadership
[edit] Chairman
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the senior 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. The Chairman does not outrank the respective heads of each service branch, nor is he even in their chain of command. The Chairman, in effect, heads a research group whose job is to advise the President directly on military issues, without being swayed by vested interests in the branches themselves. The Chairman initiates research studies and uses the information to advise the President. He is not in charge of any military operation whatsoever, and the respective heads of service, who are of equal rank as the Chairman, report to the Secretary of Defense, not the Chairman.
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 nine 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
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.
[edit] 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. [1]
The current Vice Chairman is Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani, USN, who began his term on August 12, 2005.
[edit] 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. [2]
- 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)
[edit] External links
[edit] Further reading
- Four Stars: The Inside Story of the Forty-Year Battle Between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and America's Civilian Leaders, Mark Perry, Houghton Mifflin, 1989, hardcover: 412 pages, ISBN 0-395-42923-4
[edit] See also
| United States Joint Chiefs of Staff |  |
|---|---|
| Pace (Chairman) • Giambastiani (Vice-Chairman) • Schoomaker (Army) • Mullen (Navy) • Conway (Marine Corps) • Moseley (Air Force) |
