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The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense, concerned with the armed services and military matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet.
This position was created in 1947 when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were merged into the new National Military Establishment. In the same massive reorganization, the Secretary of the Navy was changed to a non-Cabinet position placed under the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of War was replaced by the Secretary of the Army, also a non-Cabinet position under the Secretary of Defense. In 1949, the National Military Establishment was renamed the Department of Defense, which remains the current name of the department.
Within the United States Armed Forces, the Secretary of Defense is often referred to as SecDef.
He is assisted by a Deputy Secretary and 5 Under Secretaries in the fields of Acquisition, Technology & Logistics; Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer; Intelligence; Personnel & Readiness; and arguably the most important, Policy. All of these positions require Senate confirmation.
Secretaries of Defense
| Name |
Term of Office |
President(s) served under |
|---|
| James V. Forrestal |
September 17, 1947 - March 28, 1949 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Louis A. Johnson |
March 28, 1949 - September 19, 1950 |
Harry S. Truman |
| George C. Marshall |
September 21, 1950 - September 12, 1951 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Robert A. Lovett |
September 17, 1951 - January 20, 1953 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Charles E. Wilson |
January 28, 1953 - October 8, 1957 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Neil H. McElroy |
October 9, 1957 - December 1, 1959 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Thomas S. Gates |
December 2, 1959 - January 20, 1961 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Robert McNamara |
January 21, 1961 - February 29, 1968 |
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson |
| Clark Clifford |
March 1, 1968- January 20, 1969 |
Lyndon Johnson |
| Melvin Laird |
January 22, 1969 - January 29, 1973 |
Richard Nixon |
| Elliot L. Richardson |
January 30, 1973 - May 24, 1973 |
Richard Nixon |
| James R. Schlesinger |
July 2, 1973 - November 19, 1975 |
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford |
| Donald H. Rumsfeld |
November 20, 1975 - January 20, 1977 |
Gerald Ford |
| Harold Brown |
January 21, 1977 - January 20, 1981 |
Jimmy Carter |
| Caspar W. Weinberger |
January 21, 1981 - November 23, 1987 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Frank C. Carlucci |
November 23, 1987 - January 20, 1989 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Richard B. Cheney |
March 21, 1989 - January 20, 1993 |
George H. W. Bush |
| Les Aspin |
January 21, 1993 - February 3, 1994 |
Bill Clinton |
| William J. Perry |
February 3, 1994 - January 23, 1997 |
Bill Clinton |
| William S. Cohen |
January 24, 1997 - January 20, 2001 |
Bill Clinton |
| Donald H. Rumsfeld |
January 20, 2001 - present |
George W. Bush |
External links
Category:U.S. Dept. of DefenseDefense
United States, Defense, Secretary of
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