View source for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

{{Short description|Highest-ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces}}
{{Other uses|Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|White House Chief of Staff}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Chairman
| body = the Joint Chiefs of Staff
| insignia = Joint Chiefs of Staff seal (2).svg
| insigniasize = 
| insigniacaption = Seal of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
| flag = Flag of the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.svg
| flagsize = 
| flagborder = yes
| flagcaption = Flag of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
| image = CJCS Brown.jpg
| imagesize = 
| alt = 
| incumbent = [[General (United States)|General]] [[Charles Q. Brown Jr.]], [[United States Air Force|USAF]]
| acting = 
| incumbentsince = 1 October 2023
| department = [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]<br>[[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]
| style = 
| type = Highest-ranking [[military officer]]
| status = 
| abbreviation = CJCS
| member_of = [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]<br />[[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]]
| reports_to = [[President of the United States|President]]<br />[[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]]
| residence = Quarters 6, [[Fort Myer]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/History/Institutional/Quarters_Six.pdf|title=Quarters Six, The Official Residence of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|access-date=2021-05-17}}</ref>
| seat = [[The Pentagon]], [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington County]], [[Virginia]]
| nominator = Secretary of Defense
| appointer = The [[President of the United States|President]]
| appointer_qualified = with [[United States Senate|Senate]] [[advice and consent]]
| termlength = 4 years, not renewable
| termlength_qualified = 
| constituting_instrument = {{USC|10|152}}<br/>{{USC|10|153}}
| precursor = Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy
| formation = 19 August 1949
| first = [[General of the Army (United States)|General of the Army]] [[Omar Bradley]]
| last = 
| abolished = 
| succession = 
| unofficial_names = 
| deputy = [[Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|Vice Chairman]]<br />[[Director of the Joint Staff|Director]] (Joint Staff)<br />[[Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman|Senior Enlisted Advisor]] (Enlisted Matters)
| salary = 
| website = {{URL|www.jcs.mil}}
}}

The '''chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff''' ('''CJCS''') is the presiding officer of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]  (JCS). The chairman is the [[Chief of defence|highest-ranking]] and [[United States military seniority|most senior]] military officer in the [[United States Armed Forces]]<ref name="CJCS">{{USC|10|152}} Chairman: appointment; grade and rank</ref> and the principal military advisor to the [[President of the United States|president]], the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]],<ref name="fuctions of JCS">{{USC|10|151}} - Joint Chiefs of Staff: composition; functions</ref> the [[United States Homeland Security Council|Homeland Security Council]],<ref name="fuctions of JCS" /> and the [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]].<ref name="fuctions of JCS"/><ref name="goldwater-nichols act">{{cite web|url=http://www.jcs.mil/page.aspx?id%3D29 |title=Joint Chiefs of Staff Official Web Site |access-date=2009-09-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514121825/http://www.jcs.mil/page.aspx?id=29 |archive-date=2011-05-14}} Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986</ref> While the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, the chairman is prohibited by law from having [[National Command Authority (United States)|operational command authority]] over the armed forces; however, the chairman assists the president and the secretary of defense in exercising their command functions.<ref>{{USC|10|153}} - Chairman: functions</ref>

The chairman convenes the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Joint Chiefs, an advisory body within the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] comprising the chairman, the [[Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]], the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|chief of staff of the Army]], the [[Commandant of the United States Marine Corps|commandant of the Marine Corps]], the [[Chief of Naval Operations|chief of naval operations]], the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|chief of staff of the Air Force]], the [[Chief of Space Operations|chief of space operations]], and the [[chief of the National Guard Bureau]].<ref name="fuctions of JCS" /> The post of a statutory and permanent Joint Chiefs of Staff chair was created by the 1949 amendments to the [[National Security Act of 1947]]. The 1986 [[Goldwater–Nichols Act]] elevated the chairman from the [[Primus inter pares|first among equals]] to becoming the "principal military advisor" to the president and the secretary of defense.

The [[Joint Chiefs of Staff#Joint Staff|Joint Staff]], managed by the [[director of the Joint Staff]] and consisting of military personnel from all the services, assists the chairman in fulfilling his duties to the president and secretary of defense, and functions as a conduit and collector of information between the chairman and the [[combatant commander]]s. The [[National Military Command Center]] (NMCC) is part of the Joint Staff operations directorate (J-3).

Although the office of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is considered very important and highly prestigious, neither the chairman, the vice chairman, nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff as a body has any command authority over combatant forces. The [[Goldwater–Nichols Act]] places the operational [[command hierarchy|chain of command]] from the [[President of the United States of America|president]] to the [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]] directly to the commanders of the [[Unified Combatant Command|unified combatant command]]s.<ref>{{USC|10|162}} - Combatant commands: assigned forces; chain of command</ref> However the service chiefs do have authority over personnel assignments and oversight over resources and personnel allocated to the combatant commands within their respective services (derived from the service secretaries).

The chairman may also transmit communications to the combatant commanders from the president and secretary of defense<ref>{{USC|10|163}} - Role of Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff</ref> as well as allocate additional funding to the combatant commanders if necessary.<ref>{{USC|10|166a}} - Combatant commands: funding through the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff</ref> The chairman also performs all other functions prescribed under {{UnitedStatesCode|10|153}} or allocates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in the joint staff.

The current chairman is General [[Charles Q. Brown Jr.]], who assumed office on 1 October 2023, having been ceremonially sworn in on 29 September.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/32774|title=Webcast: Armed Forces Farewell Tribute in Honor of General Mark A. Milley and an Armed Forces Hail in Honor of General Charles Q. Brown Jr.|access-date=2023-09-29|website=DVIDS}}</ref>

==Organization and assistants==
[[File:Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown.jpg|left|thumb|JCS chairman General [[George Scratchley Brown]] with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during testimony before the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Armed Services Committee]] on January 15, 1976.]]

The principal deputy to the chairman is the [[Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] (VCJCS), another four-star general or admiral, who among many duties chairs the [[Joint Requirements Oversight Council]] (JROC).

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is assisted by the [[Joint Staff]], led by the [[director of the Joint Staff]], a three-star general or admiral. The [[Joint Staff]] is an organization composed of approximately equal numbers of officers contributed by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force who have been assigned to assist the chairman with the unified strategic direction, operation, and integration of the combatant land, naval, air, and space forces. The [[National Military Command Center]] (NMCC) is part of the Joint Staff operations directorate (J-3).

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is also advised on enlisted personnel matters by the [[Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman|senior enlisted advisor to the chairman]], who serves as a communication conduit between the chairman and the senior enlisted advisors ([[Sergeant major#United States Army|command sergeants major]], [[Command Master Chief Petty Officer|command master chief petty officers]], and [[Command Chief Master Sergeant#Command Chief Master Sergeant|command chief master sergeants]]) of the combatant commands.

==Precursor==
[[Fleet admiral (United States)|Fleet Admiral]] [[William D. Leahy]], [[United States Navy|USN]], served as the chief of staff to the commander in chief of the Army and Navy from 20 July 1942 to 21 March 1949. He presided over meetings of what was called the Joint Chiefs of Staff,<ref name="life1942100595">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UUAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA95 |title=Washington Eats |magazine=Life |date=1942-10-05 |access-date=2011-11-20 |pages=95}}</ref> and Leahy's office was the precursor to the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

==Appointment and rank==
[[File:Louis Johnson swears in Omar Bradley as the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.jpg|thumb|General [[Omar Bradley]] is sworn in as the 1st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by Secretary of Defense [[Louis A. Johnson]] on August 16, 1949.]]

[[File:Mullen Sworn in as 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 071001-D-7203T-002.jpg|thumb|Admiral [[Michael Mullen]] is sworn in as the 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by his predecessor, General [[Peter Pace]] on October 1, 2007.]]

The chairman is nominated by the president for appointment from any of the regular components of the [[United States Armed Forces|armed forces]], and must be [[Advice and consent|confirmed]] via majority vote by the [[United States Senate|Senate]].<ref name="CJCS"/> The chairman and vice chairman may not be members of the same armed force service branch.<ref name="VJCS">{{USC|10|154}} - Vice Chairman</ref> However, the president may waive that restriction for a limited period of time in order to provide for the orderly transition of officers appointed to serve in those positions.<ref name="VJCS" /> The chairman serves a single four-year term of office<ref name="CJCS" /><ref name="NDAA2017">[https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2943 Public Law 114–328] - The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 increased the term length Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from two years to four years.</ref> [[Powers of the President of the United States|at the pleasure of the president]],<ref name="CJCS" /> with reappointment to additional terms only possible during times of war or national emergency.<ref name="CJCS" /> 

Historically, the chairman served two two-year terms, until the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017]] amended the chairman's term of office to a single four-year term.<ref name="NDAA2017" /> By statute, the chairman is appointed as a [[four-star rank|four-star]] [[General (United States)|general]] or [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] while holding office<ref name="CJCS" /> and assumes office on 1 October of odd-numbered years.<ref name="CJCS" />

Although the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, [[Omar Bradley]], was eventually awarded a fifth star, the CJCS does not receive one by right, and Bradley's award was so that his subordinate, [[General of the Army (United States)|General of the Army]] [[Douglas MacArthur]], would not outrank him.<ref name=AP>{{cite news |title=Higher rank not in the stars for nation's top generals |first=Jim |last=Abrams |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xDkpAAAAIBAJ&pg=7013,1927407&dq=omar-bradley+fifth-star+not+for+chairman&hl=en |agency=Associated Press |date=1991-03-22 |quote=Bradley received his fifth star in 1950 when he became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff so he would not be outranked by MacArthur.}}</ref><ref name=Brassey>{{cite book |last1=Tillman |first1=Barrett |title=Brassey's D-Day encyclopedia: the Normandy invasion A-Z |url=https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_v2r2 |url-access=registration |access-date=2011-02-22 |year=2004 |publisher=Brassey's |isbn=978-1-57488-760-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_v2r2/page/48 48] |quote=MacArthur, having been army chief of staff before World War II, was senior to everyone on the Joint Chiefs, and some observers felt that Bradley was given his fifth star in order to deal with the vainglorious field commander on an equal footing.}}</ref> In the 1990s, there were proposals in [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] academic circles to bestow on the chairman a five-star rank.<ref name=IFA>{{cite conference |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HgoJAQAAMAAJ&q=%22five+star%22 |title=Organizing for National Security: The Role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |date=January 1986 |publisher=Institute for Foreign Analysis |page=11 |isbn=9780895490742 |access-date=2011-02-21 |quote=There was some discussion of the proposal to grant the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs five-star rank, as a symbol of his status as the most senior officer in the armed forces.}}</ref><ref name=Jones>{{cite report |last=Jones |first=Logan |date=February 2000 |title=Toward the Valued Idea of Jointness: The Need for Unity of Command in U.S. Armed Forces |website=Defense Technical Information Center |page=2 |publisher=Naval War College |format=PDF |id=ADA378445 |access-date=2011-02-21 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA378445 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601064250/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA378445 |url-status=live |archive-date=1 June 2022 |quote=Promoting the Chairman to the five-star rank and ceding to him operational and administrative control of all U.S. Armed Forces would enable him to provide a unifying vision... }}</ref><ref name=Owsley>{{cite report |last=Owsley |first=Robert Clark |date=June 1997 |title=Goldwater-Nichols Almost Got It Right: A Fifth Star for the Chairman |page=14 |publisher=Naval War College |format=PDF |id=ADA328220 |access-date=2011-02-21 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA328220 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917075250/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA328220 |url-status=live |archive-date=2021-09-17 |quote=...Chairman's title be changed to Commander of the Armed Forces and commensurate with the title and authority he be assigned the grade of five stars. }}</ref>

Previously during the presidency of [[Harry S. Truman]] and Dwight D. Eisenhower, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff position was rotated in accordance with the incumbent chairman's armed force service branch. In this rotation, the incoming chairman would be from a different service branch. For example, in 1957, following the retirement of Admiral [[Arthur W. Radford|Arthur Radford]] as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Eisenhower nominated Air Force general [[Nathan F. Twining|Nathan Twining]] as Radford's successor. When General Twining retired, Eisenhower nominated Army general [[Lyman Lemnitzer]] to succeed Twining as chairman.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Rearden|first=Steven L.|title=Council of War: A History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1942-1991|publisher=Military Bookshop|date=2012-07-30|isbn=978-1780398877}}</ref> 

In October 1962, when President [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] appointed Army general [[Maxwell D. Taylor|Maxwell Taylor]] as General Lemnitzer's successor, Kennedy eventually broke the traditional rotation for the position between the Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Army. Kennedy replaced a chairman who was from the Army with another general who was also from the Army. At that time, Kennedy should have appointed either [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|Air Force chief of staff]] General [[Curtis LeMay]], chief of naval operations Admiral [[George Whelan Anderson Jr.|George Anderson Jr.]], or commandant of the Marine Corps General [[David M. Shoup|David Shoup]] to succeed General Lemnitzer as the fifth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since that, the traditional rotation was abolished.<ref>{{Cite book|last=McMaster|first=Herbert Raymond|title=Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam|publisher=Harper Perennial|date=8 May 1998|isbn=978-0060929084|pages=22}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Perry|first=Mark|title=Four-Stars: The Inside Story of The Forty-Year Battle Between The Joint Chiefs of Staff and America's Civilian Leaders.|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|date=1989-03-01|isbn=978-0395429235}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

According to the Monthly Rates of Basic Pay for commissioned officers, effective January 1, 2023, basic pay is limited to the rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule in effect during calendar year 2023, which is $17,675.10 per month for officers at pay grades O-7 through O-10.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Defense Finance and Accounting Service > MilitaryMembers > payentitlements > Pay Tables > Basic Pay > CO |url=https://www.dfas.mil/MilitaryMembers/payentitlements/Pay-Tables/Basic-Pay/CO/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=www.dfas.mil}}</ref> This includes officers serving as chairman or vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, chief of staff of the Army, chief of naval operations, chief of staff of the Air Force, commandant of the Marine Corps, chief of space operations, commandant of the Coast Guard, chief of the National Guard Bureau, or the commanders of the unified combatant commands.<ref name=":2" />

==List of chairmen==

===Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief (historical predecessor office)===
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder               = y
| showimage               = y
| officeholder_title      = Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief
| showtermlenght          = y
| showparty               = n
| showdefencebranch       = y
| defence_branch_title    = Service branch
| showaltofficeholder     = y
| alt_officeholder_title  = [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretaries of Defense]]
| showcabinet             = y
| cabinet_title           = [[President of the United States|President]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 1
| image                   = William Leahy cropped.jpg
| military_rank           = [[Fleet admiral (United States)|Fleet Admiral]]
| officeholder            = [[William D. Leahy]]
| officeholder_sort       = Leahy, William D.
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1875
| died_year               = 1959
| term_start              = 20 July 1942
| term_end                = 21 March 1949
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1942|7|20|1949|3|21}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Henry L. Stimson]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Robert P. Patterson]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[Kenneth C. Royall]]<br />{{small|(of War)}}
| alt_officeholder4       = [[Frank Knox]]<br />{{small|(of Navy)}}
| alt_officeholder5       = [[James V. Forrestal]]<br />{{small|(1st DOD)}}
| cabinet                 = [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]
| cabinet2                = [[Harry S. Truman]]
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

===Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff===
{{Officeholder table start
| showorder               = y
| showimage               = y
| image_title             = Portrait
| officeholder_title      = Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
| showtermlenght          = y
| showparty               = n
| showdefencebranch       = y
| defence_branch_title    = Service branch
| showaltofficeholder     = y
| alt_officeholder_title  = [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretaries of Defense]]
| showcabinet             = y
| cabinet_title           = [[President of the United States|President]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 1
| image                   = General of the Army Omar Bradley.jpg
| military_rank           = [[General of the Army (United States)|General of the Army]]
| officeholder            = [[Omar Bradley]]
| officeholder_sort       = Bradley, Omar
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1893
| died_year               = 1981
| term_start              = 19 August 1949
| term_end                = 15 August 1953
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1949|8|19|1953|8|15}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Louis A. Johnson]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[George Marshall]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[Robert A. Lovett]]
| cabinet                 = [[Harry S. Truman]]
| cabinet2                = Dwight D. Eisenhower
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 2
| image                   = ADM Arthur Radford.JPG
| military_rank           = [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]]
| officeholder            = [[Arthur W. Radford]]
| officeholder_sort       = Radford, Arthur W.
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1896
| died_year               = 1973
| term_start              = 15 August 1953
| term_end                = 15 August 1957
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1953|8|15|1957|8|15}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Charles Erwin Wilson]]
| cabinet                 = Dwight D. Eisenhower
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 3
| image                   = Nathan Twining 02.jpg
| military_rank           = [[General (United States)|General]] 
| officeholder            = [[Nathan F. Twining]]
| officeholder_sort       = Twining, Nathan F.
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1897
| died_year               = 1982
| term_start              = 15 August 1957
| term_end                = 30 September 1960
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1957|8|15|1960|9|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Military service mark of the United States Air Force.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Charles Erwin Wilson]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Neil H. McElroy]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[Thomas S. Gates]]
| cabinet                 = Dwight D. Eisenhower
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 4
| image                   = GEN Lyman L. Lemnitzer, portrait as SACEUR (cropped 2).jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Lyman Lemnitzer]]
| officeholder_sort       = Lemnitzer, Lyman
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1899
| died_year               = 1988
| term_start              = 1 October 1960
| term_end                = 30 September 1962
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1960|9|30|1962|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Thomas S. Gates]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Robert McNamara]]
| cabinet                 = Dwight D. Eisenhower
| cabinet2                = [[John F. Kennedy]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 5
| image                   = Maxwell D Taylor official portrait.jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Maxwell D. Taylor]]
| officeholder_sort       = Taylor, Maxwell
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1901
| died_year               = 1987
| term_start              = 1 October 1962
| term_end                = 1 July 1964
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1962|09|30|1964|07|01}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Robert McNamara]]
| cabinet                 = [[John F. Kennedy]]
| cabinet2                = Lyndon B. Johnson
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 6
| image                   = Earle Wheeler official photo.JPEG
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Earle Wheeler]]
| officeholder_sort       = Wheeler, Earle
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1908
| died_year               = 1975
| term_start              = 3 July 1964
| term_end                = 2 July 1970
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1964|07|03|1970|07|02}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Robert McNamara]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Clark Clifford]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[Melvin Laird]]
| cabinet                 = Lyndon B. Johnson
| cabinet2                = [[Richard Nixon]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 7
| image                   = ADM Thomas Moorer.JPG
| military_rank           = Admiral
| officeholder            = [[Thomas Hinman Moorer|Thomas H. Moorer]]
| officeholder_sort       = Moorer, Thomas
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1912
| died_year               = 2004
| term_start              = 2 July 1970
| term_end                = 1 July 1974
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1970|07|02|1974|07|01}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Melvin Laird]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Elliot Richardson]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[James R. Schlesinger]]
| cabinet                 = [[Richard Nixon]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 8
| image                   = GEN George Brown.JPG
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[George S. Brown]]
| officeholder_sort       = Brown, George
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1918
| died_year               = 1978
| term_start              = 1 July 1974
| term_end                = 20 June 1978
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1974|07|01|1978|06|20}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Military service mark of the United States Air Force.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[James R. Schlesinger]]
| alt_officeholder2       = Donald Rumsfeld
| alt_officeholder3       = [[Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)|Harold Brown]]
| cabinet                 = [[Richard Nixon]]
| cabinet2                = [[Gerald Ford]]
| cabinet3                = [[Jimmy Carter]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 9
| image                   = David C Jones official portrait.jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[David C. Jones]]
| officeholder_sort       = Jones, David
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1921
| died_year               = 2013
| term_start              = 21 June 1978
| term_end                = 18 June 1982
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1978|06|21|1982|06|18}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Military service mark of the United States Air Force.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)|Harold Brown]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Caspar Weinberger]]
| cabinet                 = [[Jimmy Carter]]
| cabinet2                = [[Ronald Reagan]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 10
| image                   = Gen John Vessey Jr.JPG
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[John William Vessey Jr.|John W. Vessey Jr.]]
| officeholder_sort       = Vessey Jr., John William
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1922
| died_year               = 2016
| term_start              = 18 June 1982
| term_end                = 30 September 1985
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1982|06|18|1985|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Caspar Weinberger]]
| cabinet                 = [[Ronald Reagan]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 11
| image                   = Adm William Crowe Jr.JPG
| military_rank           = Admiral
| officeholder            = [[William J. Crowe|William J. Crowe Jr.]]
| officeholder_sort       = Crowe, William
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1925
| died_year               = 2007
| term_start              = 1 October 1985
| term_end                = 30 September 1989
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1985|10|01|1989|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Caspar Weinberger]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Frank Carlucci]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[Dick Cheney]]
| cabinet                 = [[Ronald Reagan]]
| cabinet2                = [[George H. W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 12
| image                   = GEN Colin Powell.JPG
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Colin Powell]]
| officeholder_sort       = Powell, Colin
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1937
| died_year               = 2021
| term_start              = 1 October 1989
| term_end                = 30 September 1993
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1989|10|01|1993|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Dick Cheney]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Les Aspin]]
| cabinet                 = [[George H. W. Bush]]
| cabinet2                = [[Bill Clinton]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = −
| image                   = ADM David E Jeremiah.JPG
| military_rank           = Admiral
| officeholder            = [[David E. Jeremiah]]
| officeholder_sort       = Jeremiah, David
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1934
| died_year               = 2013
| term_start              = 1 October 1993
| term_end                = 24 October 1993
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1993|10|01|1993|10|24}}
| acting                  = y
| defence_branch          = [[File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Les Aspin]]
| cabinet                 = [[Bill Clinton]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 13
| image                   = General John Shalikashvili military portrait, 1993.JPEG
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[John Shalikashvili]]
| officeholder_sort       = Shalikashvili, John
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1936
| died_year               = 2011
| term_start              = 25 October 1993
| term_end                = 30 September 1997
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1993|10|24|1997|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Les Aspin]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[William J. Perry]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[William Cohen]]
| cabinet                 = [[Bill Clinton]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 14
| image                   = General Henry Shelton, official portrait 2.jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Hugh Shelton]]
| officeholder_sort       = Shelton, Hugh
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1942
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 1 October 1997
| term_end                = 30 September 2001
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|1997|10|01|2001|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[William Cohen]]
| alt_officeholder2       = Donald Rumsfeld
| cabinet                 = [[Bill Clinton]]
| cabinet2                = [[George W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 15
| image                   = Richard Myers official portrait 2.jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Richard Myers]]
| officeholder_sort       = Myers, Richard
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1942
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 1 October 2001
| term_end                = 30 September 2005
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|2001|10|01|2005|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Military service mark of the United States Air Force.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]]
| alt_officeholder        = Donald Rumsfeld
| cabinet                 = [[George W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 16
| image                   = Peter Pace official portrait.jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Peter Pace]]
| officeholder_sort       = Pace, Peter
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1945
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 1 October 2005
| term_end                = 30 September 2007
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|2005|10|1|2007|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Emblem of the United States Marine Corps.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]]
| alt_officeholder        = Donald Rumsfeld
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Robert Gates]]
| cabinet                 = [[George W. Bush]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 17
| image                   = Michael Mullen, CJCS, official photo portrait, 2007.jpg
| military_rank           = Admiral
| officeholder            = [[Michael Mullen]]
| officeholder_sort       = Mullen, Michael
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1946
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 1 October 2007
| term_end                = 30 September 2011
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|2007|10|1|2011|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Emblem of the United States Navy.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Robert Gates]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Leon Panetta]]
| cabinet                 = [[George W. Bush]]
| cabinet2                = [[Barack Obama]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 18
| image                   = General Martin E. Dempsey, CJCS, official portrait 2012.jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Martin Dempsey]]
| officeholder_sort       = Dempsey, Martin
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1952
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 1 October 2011
| term_end                = 30 September 2015
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|2011|10|1|2015|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Leon Panetta]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Chuck Hagel]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[Ash Carter]]
| cabinet                 = [[Barack Obama]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 19
| image                   = Dunford CJCS.JPG
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Joseph Dunford]]
| officeholder_sort       = Dunford, Joseph
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1955
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 1 October 2015
| term_end                = 30 September 2019
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|2015|10|01|2019|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Emblem of the United States Marine Corps.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Ash Carter]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Jim Mattis]]
| alt_officeholder3       = [[Mark Esper]]
| cabinet                 = [[Barack Obama]]
| cabinet2                = [[Donald Trump]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 20
| image                   = GEN Mark A. Milley portrait.jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Mark Milley]]
| officeholder_sort       = Milley, Mark
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1958
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 1 October 2019
| term_end                = 30 September 2023
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|2019|10|01|2023|09|30}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Mark of the United States Army.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Army|U.S. Army]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Mark Esper]]
| alt_officeholder2       = [[Lloyd Austin]]
| cabinet                 = [[Donald Trump]]
| cabinet2                = [[Joe Biden]]
}}
{{Officeholder table
| order                   = 21
| image                   = CJCS Brown.jpg
| military_rank           = General
| officeholder            = [[Charles Q. Brown Jr.]]
| officeholder_sort       = Brown, Charles
| officeholder_note       = 
| born_year               = 1962
| died_year               = 
| term_start              = 1 October 2023
| timeinoffice            = {{ayd|2023|10|01}}
| defence_branch          = [[File:Military service mark of the United States Air Force.svg|75px]]<br />[[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]]
| alt_officeholder        = [[Lloyd Austin]]
| cabinet                 = [[Joe Biden]]<!--
| cabinet2                = [[Donald Trump]]-->
}}
{{Officeholder table end}}

===Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by branches of service within the Department of Defense===
* Army: 10
* Air Force: 5
* Navy: 4<ref>Excluding Leahy, who served in a precursor position, and Jeremiah, who served as acting Chairman.</ref>
* Marine Corps: 2
* Space Force: 0

===Timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:10
PlotArea  = top:10 bottom:50 right:160 left:20
AlignBars = late

DateFormat = x.y
Period     = from:1935 till:{{#expr:{{#time:Y}}+5}}
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1935

Define $now = {{CURRENTYEAR}}

Colors     =
  id:cjcs value:rgb(0,0,0) legend: CJCS
  id:vjcs value:rgb(0.7,0.7,0.7) legend: VJCS
  id:csa value:rgb(1,0,0) legend: CSA
  id:cmc value:rgb(0,1,0) legend: CMC
  id:cno value:darkblue legend: CNO
  id:csaf value:blue legend: CSAF
  id:cinc value:rgb(0.8,0,1) legend: CINC/CCDR
  id:time value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)

Legend     = orientation:vertical position:right

LineData =
  layer:back
  width:0.1
  color:time
  at:1940
  at:1945
  at:1950
  at:1955
  at:1960
  at:1965
  at:1970
  at:1975
  at:1980
  at:1985
  at:1990
  at:1995
  at:2000
  at:2005
  at:2010
  at:2015
  at:2020
  at:2025

BarData =
 barset:PM
 bar:leahy
 bar:bradley
 bar:radford
 bar:twining
 bar:lemnitzer
 bar:taylor
 bar:wheeler
 bar:moorer
 bar:browngeorge
 bar:jones
 bar:vessey
 bar:crowe
 bar:powell
 bar:shalikashvili
 bar:shelton
 bar:myers
 bar:pace
 bar:mullen
 bar:dempsey
 bar:dunford
 bar:milley
 bar:browncq

PlotData=
  width:6 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
  barset:PM
  bar:leahy from:1937 till:1939 color:cno
  bar:leahy from:1942 till:1949 color:cjcs text:"[[William D. Leahy|Leahy]]"
  bar:radford from:1949 till:1953 color:cinc
  bar:radford from:1953 till:1957 color:cjcs text:"[[Arthur W. Radford|Radford]]"
  bar:bradley from:1948 till:1949 color:csa
  bar:bradley from:1949 till:1953 color:cjcs text:"[[Omar Bradley|Bradley]]"
  bar:twining from:1953 till:1957 color:csaf 
  bar:twining from:1957 till:1960 color:cjcs text:"[[Nathan F. Twining|Twining]]"
  bar:lemnitzer from:1959 till:1960 color:csa
  bar:lemnitzer from:1960 till:1962 color:cjcs
  bar:lemnitzer from:1962 till:1969 color:cinc text:"[[Lyman Lemnitzer|Lemnitzer]]"
  bar:taylor from:1955 till:1959 color:csa
  bar:taylor from:1962 till:1964 color:cjcs text:"[[Maxwell D. Taylor|Taylor]]"
  bar:wheeler from:1962 till:1964 color:csa
  bar:wheeler from:1964 till:1970 color:cjcs text:"[[Earle Wheeler|Wheeler]]"
  bar:moorer from:1965 till:1967 color:cinc
  bar:moorer from:1967 till:1970 color:cno
  bar:moorer from:1970 till:1974 color:cjcs text:"[[Thomas Hinman Moorer|Moorer]]"
  bar:browngeorge from:1973 till:1974 color:csaf
  bar:browngeorge from:1974 till:1978 color:cjcs text:"[[George Scratchley Brown|G. Brown]]"
  bar:jones from:1974 till:1978 color:csaf
  bar:jones from:1978 till:1982 color:cjcs text:"[[David C. Jones|Jones]]"
  bar:vessey from:1982 till:1985 color:cjcs text:"[[John William Vessey Jr.|Vessey]]"
  bar:crowe from:1983 till:1985 color:cinc
  bar:crowe from:1985 till:1989 color:cjcs text:"[[William J. Crowe|Crowe]]"
  bar:powell from:1989 till:1993 color:cjcs text:"[[Colin Powell|Powell]]"
  bar:shalikashvili from:1992 till:1993 color:cinc 
  bar:shalikashvili from:1993 till:1997 color:cjcs text:"[[John Shalikashvili|Shalikashvili]]"
  bar:shelton from:1996 till:1997 color:cinc
  bar:shelton from:1997 till:2001 color:cjcs text:"[[Hugh Shelton|Shelton]]"
  bar:myers from:1998 till:2000 color:cinc
  bar:myers from:2000 till:2001 color:vjcs
  bar:myers from:2001 till:2005 color:cjcs text:"[[Richard Myers|Myers]]"
  bar:pace from:2000 till:2001 color:cinc
  bar:pace from:2001 till:2005 color:vjcs
  bar:pace from:2005 till:2007 color:cjcs text:"[[Peter Pace|Pace]]"
  bar:mullen from:2005 till:2007 color:cno
  bar:mullen from:2007 till:2011.75 color:cjcs text:"[[Michael Mullen|Mullen]]"
  bar:dempsey from:2011.33 till:2011.75 color:csa
  bar:dempsey from:2011.75 till:2015 color:cjcs text:"[[Martin Dempsey|Dempsey]]"
  bar:dunford from:2014 till:2015 color:cmc
  bar:dunford from:2015 till:2019 color:cjcs text:"[[Joseph Dunford|Dunford]]"
  bar:milley from:2015 till:2019 color:csa
  bar:milley from:2019 till:2023 color:cjcs text:"[[Mark Milley|Milley]]"
  bar:browncq from:2020 till:2023 color:csaf
  bar:browncq from:2023 till:$now color:cjcs text:"[[Charles Q. Brown Jr.|CQ Brown]]"
}}

==See also==
* [[Chief of Defence]]
 [[Chief of the Defence Force (disambiguation)|Chief of the Defence Force]]
 [[Chief of the Defence Staff (disambiguation)|Chief of the Defence Staff]]
 [[Chief of the General Staff]]
* [[National Command Authority (United States)]]
* [[National Military Strategy (United States)]]
* [[Single Integrated Operational Plan]]
* [[Unified Command Plan]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book
  | title = Department of Defense Directive 5100.1: Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components
  | publisher = [[U.S. Department of Defense]]
  | series = Department of Defense Directive
  | location = Washington, D.C.
  | url = http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/510001p.pdf
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110322204730/http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/510001p.pdf
  | url-status = dead
  | archive-date = 22 March 2011
  | date = 21 December 2010 
  | ref = 5100.1
}}
* {{cite web |url = http://odam.defense.gov/omp/Functions/Organizational_Portfolios/Evolution%20of%205100.1.html |title = Department of Defense Directive 5100.01 Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components |publisher = Office of the Secretary Defense, Director of Administration and Management, Directorate for Organizational & Management Planning |access-date=13 June 2013 |ref=DOMP |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130507124537/http://odam.defense.gov/omp/Functions/Organizational_Portfolios/Evolution%20of%205100.1.html |archive-date=7 May 2013 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Navboxes
|list =
{{CJCS}}
{{Current JCS members}}
{{Current US Department of Defense Secretaries}}
{{United States Armed Forces}}
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}}

[[Category:Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|*]]
[[Category:Chiefs of defence|USA]]
[[Category:Joint Chiefs of Staff]]