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Secretary of Defense: Difference between revisions
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The general trend since 1949 has been to further centralize management in the Department of Defense, elevating the status and authorities of civilian [[Office of the Secretary of Defense|OSD]] appointees and defense-wide organizations at the expense of the military departments and the services within them. The last major revision of the statutory framework concerning the position was done in the [[Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986]]. In particular, it elevated the status of joint service for commissioned officers, making it in practice a requirement before appointments to general officer and flag officer grades could be made. | The general trend since 1949 has been to further centralize management in the Department of Defense, elevating the status and authorities of civilian [[Office of the Secretary of Defense|OSD]] appointees and defense-wide organizations at the expense of the military departments and the services within them. The last major revision of the statutory framework concerning the position was done in the [[Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986]]. In particular, it elevated the status of joint service for commissioned officers, making it in practice a requirement before appointments to general officer and flag officer grades could be made. | ||
As the secretary of defense is a civilian position intended to be independent of the active-duty leadership, a secretary is required to have been retired from service for at least seven (originally ten) years unless a waiver is approved by Congress.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peters|first=Heidi M.|date=December 1, 2016|title=Waiver of Statutory Qualifications Relating to Prior Military Service of the Secretary of Defense|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc958680/m1/1/|access-date=December 8, 2020|website=UNT Digital Library|language=en|archive-date=December 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209062553/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc958680/m1/1/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the creation of the position in 1947, such a waiver has been approved only three times, for Army general [[George Marshall]] in 1950, Marine Corps General [[Jim Mattis]] in 2017, and retired Army general [[Lloyd Austin]] in 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Why Generals Need Congressional Waivers To Become Defense Secretary|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/01/09/508902893/why-generals-need-congressional-waivers-to-become-defense-secretary|access-date=December 8, 2020|website=NPR.org|language=en|archive-date=December 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210113310/https://www.npr.org/2017/01/09/508902893/why-generals-need-congressional-waivers-to-become-defense-secretary|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Lloyd Austin Receives Waiver Allowing Him to Become Defense Chief|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-approve-waiver-allowing-lloyd-austin-to-become-defense-chief-11611269413|access-date=January 21, 2021|website= | As the secretary of defense is a civilian position intended to be independent of the active-duty leadership, a secretary is required to have been retired from service for at least seven (originally ten) years unless a waiver is approved by Congress.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peters|first=Heidi M.|date=December 1, 2016|title=Waiver of Statutory Qualifications Relating to Prior Military Service of the Secretary of Defense|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc958680/m1/1/|access-date=December 8, 2020|website=UNT Digital Library|language=en|archive-date=December 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209062553/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc958680/m1/1/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the creation of the position in 1947, such a waiver has been approved only three times, for Army general [[George Marshall]] in 1950, Marine Corps General [[Jim Mattis]] in 2017, and retired Army general [[Lloyd Austin]] in 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Why Generals Need Congressional Waivers To Become Defense Secretary|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/01/09/508902893/why-generals-need-congressional-waivers-to-become-defense-secretary|access-date=December 8, 2020|website=NPR.org|language=en|archive-date=December 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210113310/https://www.npr.org/2017/01/09/508902893/why-generals-need-congressional-waivers-to-become-defense-secretary|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Lloyd Austin Receives Waiver Allowing Him to Become Defense Chief|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-approve-waiver-allowing-lloyd-austin-to-become-defense-chief-11611269413|access-date=January 21, 2021|website=The Wall Street Journal|date=January 21, 2021|language=en|last1=Youssef|first1=Nancy A.|archive-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122172905/https://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-approve-waiver-allowing-lloyd-austin-to-become-defense-chief-11611269413|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
== Powers and functions == | == Powers and functions == | ||