The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense,the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces,and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. The secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States,who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The secretary of defense is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate,and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.
The Secretary of the Navy is a statutory officer and the head of the Department of the Navy,a military department within the United States Department of Defense.
The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order,or relative preeminence,for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic,ceremonial,and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy,and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents,vice presidents,first ladies,second ladies,and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate criminal activities involving the Navy and Marine Corps,though its broad mandate includes national security,counterintelligence,counterterrorism,cyberwarfare,and the protection of U.S. naval assets worldwide. NCIS is the successor organization to the former Naval Investigative Service (NIS),which was established by the Office of Naval Intelligence after the Second World War.
Romer Leslie "Les" Brownlee served as the Under Secretary of the Army from November 2001 to December 2004 and as Acting United States Secretary of the Army from 17 November 2004 until his resignation effective 19 November 2004,staying at the Undersecretary's office. Bill Gertz wrote that Donald Rumsfeld did not wish to name a non-CEO to the job of secretary.
Michael Luis Dominguez retired as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness within the United States Department of Defense. He has held that position since his confirmation by the United States Senate on July 11,2006.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the United States Department of Defense. It is the principal civilian staff element of the U.S. Secretary of Defense,and it assists the Secretary in carrying out authority,direction and control of the Department of Defense in the exercise of policy development,planning,resource management,fiscal,and program evaluation responsibilities. OSD is the Secretary of Defense's support staff for managing the Department of Defense,and it corresponds to what the Executive Office of the President of the U.S. is to the U.S. president for managing the whole of the Executive branch of the federal government.
Michael D. Lumpkin is a former American Naval Officer and businessman who served as the Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. Department of State until January 2017. From 2013 until 2016,he was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. During that time,he also served as the acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy,the third-highest civilian job at the United States Department of Defense.
Michael Bruce Donley is a United States government official who is the director of administration and management in the Office of the Secretary of Defense since May 2021,having served in the same position from 2005 to 2008. In the Bush and Obama administrations,Donley served as the 22nd secretary of the Air Force,amongst other positions. Donley has 30 years of experience in the national security community,including service on the staff of the United States Senate,White House and The Pentagon.
The Defense Media Activity (DMA) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) field activity. It provides a broad range of high-quality multimedia products and services to inform,educate,and entertain Department of Defense audiences around the world. The Defense Media Activity is located on Fort Meade,Maryland. DoD field activities are established as DoD components by law,by the President,or by the Secretary of Defense to provide for the performance,on a DoD-wide basis,of a supply or service activity that is common to more than one Military Department when it is determined to be more effective,economical,or efficient to do so. DMA operates as a separate DoD Component under the authority,direction and control of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
Robert Orton Work is an American national security professional who served as the 32nd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense for both the Obama and Trump administrations from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that,Work was the United States Under Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2013,and before that served as a colonel in the United States Marine Corps;Work retired in 2001 and worked as a civilian at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) and the George Washington University in various positions relating to military and strategic study. From 2013 to 2014,he was the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). After his time as Deputy Secretary of Defense,he went on to serve on the board of Raytheon.
The United States under secretary of the Army is the second-highest-ranking civilian official of the United States Department of the Army,serving directly under the United States Secretary of the Army. The Secretary and Under Secretary,together with two military officers,the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army,constitute the senior leaders of the United States Army.
William K. Lietzau is an American lawyer,former U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate,and the current Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.
John F. Kirby is a retired United States Navy rear admiral serving as Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House since late May 2022. He previously served as Pentagon Press Secretary for the first year and a half of the Biden administration,and worked as a military and diplomatic analyst for CNN from 2017 to 2021. He served in the Obama administration as the spokesperson for the United States Department of State from 2015 to 2017.
David L. Norquist is an American financial management professional and former government official who served as the 34th United States deputy secretary of defense from 2019 to 2021. In May of 2022,Norquist was selected as the president and chief executive officer of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).
John Euler Whitley is an American government official who served as the acting United States Secretary of the Army from January 20,2021,to May 28,2021. He previously serviced as Assistant Secretary of the Army and acting director of cost assessment and program evaluation for the Department of Defense.
United States Marine Corps