Department of Defense: Difference between revisions

|Website=https://www.defense.gov

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{{Infobox government agency

| agency_name    = United States Department of Defense

The Department of Defense is headed by the [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]], a cabinet-level head who reports directly to the [[president of the United States]], the latter of which is also the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. Beneath the Department of Defense are three subordinate military departments: the [[United States Department of the Army|Department of the Army]], the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]], and the [[United States Department of the Air Force|Department of the Air Force]]. In addition, four [[United States Intelligence Community|national intelligence services]] are subordinate to the Department of Defense: the Defense Intelligence Agency ([[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]]), the National Security Agency ([[National Security Agency|NSA]]), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ([[National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency|NGA]]), and the National Reconnaissance Office ([[National Reconnaissance Office|NRO]]). Other Defense agencies include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ([[DARPA]]), the Defense Logistics Agency ([[Defense Logistics Agency|DLA]]), the Missile Defense Agency ([[Missile Defense Agency|MDA]]), the Defense Health Agency ([[Defense Health Agency|DHA]]), Defense Threat Reduction Agency ([[Defense Threat Reduction Agency|DTRA]]), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency ([[Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency|DCSA]]), the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA), all of which are subordinate to the secretary of defense. Additionally, the Defense Contract Management Agency ([[Defense Contract Management Agency|DCMA]]) is responsible for administering contracts for the Department of Defense. Military operations are managed by eleven regional or functional unified combatant commands. The Department of Defense also operates several joint services schools, including the Eisenhower School (ES) and the National War College (NWC).

==History==

{{See also|National Security Act of 1947}}

Faced with rising tensions between the [[Thirteen Colonies]] and the [[Parliament of Great Britain|British government]], one of the first actions taken by the [[First Continental Congress]] in September 1774 was to recommend that the colonies begin defensive military preparations. In mid-June 1775, after the outbreak of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], the [[Second Continental Congress]], recognizing the necessity of having a national army that could move about and fight beyond the boundaries of any particular colony, organized the [[Continental Army]] on June 14, 1775.<ref>{{cite book |title=For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States from 1607 to 2012 |last1=Millett |first1=Allan R. |last2=Maslowski |first2=Peter |last3=Feis |first3=William B. |edition=3rd |year=2012 |orig-year=1984 |isbn=978-1451623536 |publisher=The Free Press (a division of Simon & Schuster) |chapter=The American Revolution, 1763–1783}}</ref><ref name="June 14">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/faq/birth.html |title=June 14th: The Birthday of the U.S. Army |publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History |date=June 14, 2012 |access-date=June 19, 2014 |author=Maass, John R. |archive-date=October 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001214256/https://history.army.mil/html/faq/birth.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> This momentous event is commemorated in the U.S. annually as [[Flag Day (United States)|Flag Day]]. Later that year, Congress would charter the [[Continental Navy]] on October 13,<ref name="Navy Birthday">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/birthday.htm |title=Navy Birthday Information – October 13, 1775 |access-date=June 19, 2014 |author=Naval History and Heritage Command |archive-date=January 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101222021/http://www.history.navy.mil/birthday.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Continental Marines]] on November 10.