Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The chairman holds meetings and coordinates the efforts of the joint committee of chiefs of staff - a group of advisers to the ministry of defense , including the chairman, vice chairman, army chiefs, air forces , the head of naval operations , the commandant of the marine corps and the head of the bureau of the national guard ^[2] . The Joint Chiefs of Staff is subordinate only to the chairman.

Although the service as chairman of the joint committee of chiefs of staff is considered very important and very prestigious, neither the chairman, nor vice-chairman, nor the joint committee exercise command over the military forces. According to the Goldwater – Nichols Act, the President, through the Secretary of Defense, commands the representatives of the Joint Command ^[4] . The chiefs of staff carry out personnel appointments and oversee the resources and personnel allocated for combat operations within the framework of the services entrusted to them. The chairman may also transmit messages from the president and defense minister ^[5] and, if necessary, allocate additional funds for military commanders ^[6] . He also exercises all other functions described in paragraph 153 of Chapter 10 of the United States Code, or by his authority assigns these duties to other officers of the joint committee and determines their areas of responsibility.

The directive of the Ministry of Defense No. 5100.01 issued by the Minister describes organizational relations in the Ministry of Defense and delimits the basic functions of organizations and facilities in the Ministry, including those that are the responsibility of the chairman and organizations under his control ^{[7] [8]}

The chairman of the committee is assisted by a joint headquarters led by a director, a three-star general who is the chief assistant to the chairman in his work. The joint headquarters consists of an approximately equal number of army, navy, marines and air force officers appointed to assist the chairman, with a single strategic direction, command and integration of the military ground, naval and air forces.

On matters related to the rank and file, the chairman of the committee also consults with the senior adviser to the chairman on the rank and file, which is the connecting link between the chairman and senior advisers on the rank and file (sergeant-major, command-master-foreman of the fleet and the Air Force) .

Fleet Admiral William D. Lehi ( United States Navy ) served as chief of staff of the commander in chief of the army and navy from July 20, 1942 to March 21, 1949. He chaired the meetings of the so-called joint chiefs of staff ^[9] . The Office of Admiral Lehi became the forerunner of the post of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The chairperson is nominated by the president and approved by a majority of the Senate. ^[1] The chairman and vice-chairman cannot be from the same kind of troops ^[10] . Nevertheless, the president can bypass this restriction for a certain period with the aim of orderly transfer of the post ^[10] . By the will of the president, the chairman serves a two-year term in office ^[1] , but may be appointed twice more and hold six years in office. If the chairman previously served as vice chairman, then his time is limited to two terms ^[1] . But during a war or an emergency, all restrictions on the number of reassignments to the post of chairman are removed ^[1] . Previously, the chairman served two terms. In terms of status, the chairman bears the title of a four-star general or admiral ^[1] and has been in office since October 1 of the odd year ^[1] .

Although the first chairman, Omar Bradley , ultimately received the fifth star, this was done for political reasons, since his subordinate Douglas MacArthur was superior to him in rank ^{[11] [12]} .

In the 1990s, academia in the Ministry of Defense proposed giving the chairman a fifth star ^{[13] [14] [15]} .

According to the payment table of 2013, which entered into force on January 1, 2013, the chairman, vice chairman, head of naval operations, commandant of the marine corps, head of the army and air forces, commanders of the combined or special commands receive a basic monthly salary of 20.937. 9 dollars plus additional payments.

Of the 18 chairpersons (excluding Admiral Lehi and Acting Chairman Admiral Jeremiah), 4 were from the Air Force, 9 from the army, 1 from the Marine Corps and 4 from the Navy.

Chief of Staff of the Commander-in-Chief

Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

• Official Joint Chiefs of Staff site