Joint Chiefs of Staff: Difference between revisions

[[File:Group photo of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2022May 220505-D-TT977-01002024.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|The Joint Chiefs of Staff in MarchMay 20222024.]]

[[File:World War II Joint Chiefs of Staff 1943.jpg|thumb|right|Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting ({{circa |1943}}). From left to right are: Gen. [[Henry H. Arnold]], Chief of the Army Air Forces; Adm. [[William D. Leahy]], Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy; Adm. [[Ernest J. King]], Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations; and Gen. [[George C. Marshall]], Chief of Staff of the United States Army.]]

General [[Colin Powell|Colin L. Powell]] (Chairman, 1989–1993) was the first African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he became the 12th Chairman of the JCS in 1989. General [[Charles Q. Brown Jr.]] was the first African American appointed to lead a service branch when he became the Chief of Staff of the Air Force in 2020. On May 25, 2023, President Joe Biden nominated General Brown to become the 21st Chairman of the JCS. General Brown was subsequently confirmed and took up the post of chairman on October 1, 2023. General [[Richard Myers|Richard B. Myers]] (Chairman, 2001–2005) was the first [[Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] to serve as [[chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]]. General [[Peter Pace]] (Vice Chairman 2001–2005; Chairman, 2005–2007) was the first Marine to serve in either position. Admiral [[Lisa Franchetti]] became the first woman to serve on the JCS when she took over as Chief of Naval Operations on November 2, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-navy/2023/11/02/senate-finally-confirms-adm-franchetti-as-navys-top-officer/|title=Senate finally confirms Adm. Franchetti as Navy's top officer|first=Geoff|last=Ziezulewicz|date=2 November 2023|website=Defense News}}</ref><ref>{{UnitedStatesCode|10|151}}</ref>

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 (United States)|general]] or [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] and, by law, is the second highest-ranking member of the U.S. Armed Forces (after the chairman). 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.<ref>[{{Cite web|url=http://www.jcs.mil/about_cjs.html About the Joint Chiefs] {{webarchive|urlarchiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060705063957/http://www.jcs.mil/about_cjs.html |dateurl-status=dead|title=About the Joint Chiefs|archivedate=5 July 2006 }}</ref>

| chief1_name = LTG [[JamesDouglas J.Sims MingusII]] ([[Director of the Joint Staff|DJS]])

Former Secretary of Defense [[Mark Esper]] tasked the Joint Staff with developing a [[Reorganization plan of United States Army#jadoDevFromMdo|Joint Warfighting Concept]]<ref name=jCFT group=JadConcept >JADC2 as a concept— Like the Integrated Tactical Network, instances of a concept can exist before acquisition— see [https://peoc3t.army.mil/tr/itn.php PEO C3T (2018) Integrated Tactical Network]</ref> for the services by December 2020.<ref name=jadc2AsConcept >[{{Cite web|url=https://breakingdefense.sites.breakingmedia.com/2020/01/new-joint-warfighting-plan-will-help-define-top-priority-jadc2-hyten/ Theresa Hitchens (29 January 2020) |title=New Joint Warfighting Plan Will Help Define 'Top Priority' JADC2: Hyten]|first=Theresa|last=Hitchens|date=29 January 2020}}</ref> Developing Joint all-domain command and control ([[Reorganization plan of United States Army#jadoRolesAllocated|JADC2]]) as a concept<ref name=jCFT group=JadConcept /> is a key goal of the [[Mark Milley|20th]] CJCS.<ref name=jadc2AsConcept /> An [[Office of the Secretary of Defense|OSD]]/Joint Staff [[Cross-Functional Team]] for [[United States Army Futures Command#JointAllDomainC2|JADC2]] is [[underway]].<ref name= jadc2ApprovalUpcoming >[https://breakingdefense.com/2021/05/revised-jadc2-strategy-hits-depsecdefs-desk/ Sydney J Freedberg Jr (11 May 2021) Revised JADC2 Strategy Hits DepSecDef's Desk] JADC2 strategy: federate the data fabric</ref><ref name=jcftJadc2 >[{{Cite web|url=https://breakingdefense.sites.breakingmedia.com/2019/11/osd-joint-staff-grapple-with-joint-all-domain-command/ Theresa Hitchens (14 November 2019) |title=OSD & Joint Staff Grapple With Joint All-Domain Command]|first=Theresa|last=Hitchens|date=14 November 2019}}</ref> Esper ordered the four services and the Joint Staff to create a new joint warfighting concept for All-domain operations, operating simultaneously in the air, land, sea, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS).<ref name=hyten2020 >[https://breakingdefense.com/2020/02/gen-hyten-on-the-new-american-way-of-war-all-domain-operations/ Colin Clark (18 Feb 2020) Gen. Hyten On The New American Way of War: All-Domain Operations]

** The J-6 directorate is one of a group of agencies that administer the [[SIPRNet]]. Other administrators include: the [[National Security Agency]], the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]], and the [[Defense Information Systems Agency]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PAA/is_1_28/ai_103992818/ |title=SIPRNET connectivity: do's and don'ts |work=Army Communicator |first=Tim |last=Gibson |year=2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017050255/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PAA/is_1_28/ai_103992818/ |archive-date=17 October 2015 }}</ref> The J-6 chairs the DOD's Military Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Executive Board (MC4EB)<ref>{{Cite web|url=httpshttp://archive.org/details/Military-Command-Control-Communications-and-Computers-Executive-Board-23-Apr-2014|title=Military Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Executive Board, 23 Apr 2014|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> which works in conjunction with the multinational [[Combined Communications-Electronics Board]].

** The J-6 [[Joint Deployable Analysis Team]] ([[JDAT]]) conducts assessments in conjunction with Combatant Command exercises, experiments, and test and evaluation events.<ref>[{{Cite web|url=http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/budget_justification/pdfs/03_RDT_and_E/RDTE_MasterJustificationBook_Joint_Staff_PB_2015.pdf |title=DoD Budget p.33]}}</ref>

Although, as discussed above, the [[commandant of the Coast Guard]] is not an ''[[ex officio]]'' member of the JCS like the other service chiefs, Coast Guard officers are legally eligible to be appointed as Chairman and Vice Chairman, pursuant to {{uscsub|10|152|a|1}} and {{uscsub|10|154|a|1}} respectively, which use the collective term "armed forces" rather than listing the eligible services, as well as to other positions on the Joint Staff. {{As of |2020}}, no Coast Guard officer has been appointed Chairman or Vice Chairman, but Coast Guard officers routinely serve on the JCS staff, including one [[vice admiral]] who was appointed to serve as J6 in 2016.

* [[Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission|Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (China)]]

* [[Chief of Staff, Joint ChiefsStaff|Chief of Staff, (RepublicJoint ofStaff Korea(Japan)]]