It includes the Army, Navy, the Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, the Unified combatant commands
Unified combatant command
A unified combatant command is a United States Department of Defense command that is composed of forces from at least two Military Departments and has a broad and continuing mission. These commands are established to provide effective command and control of U.S. m…
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command, known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Northern America. Headquarters for NORAD …
- U.S. Air Force.
- U.S. Army.
- U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
- Defense Acquisition University.
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
- Defense Commissary Agency.
- Defense Contract Audit Agency.
- Defense Contract Management Agency.
How many agencies are there in the Department of Defense?
List of U.S. Department of Defense agencies. The Department was established in 1947 and is currently divided into three major Departments—the Department of the Army, Navy and Air Force —and has a military staff of 1,418,542 (553,044 US Army; 329,304 US Navy; 202,786 US Marine Corps; 333,408 US Air Force ).
What are the three branches of the Department of Defense?
The Department was established in 1947 and is currently divided into three major Departments—the Department of the Army, Navy and Air Force —and has a military staff of 1,418,542 (553,044 US Army; 329,304 US Navy; 202,786 US Marine Corps; 333,408 US Air Force ). The DoD is headed by the Secretary of Defense.
What is the main purpose of the Department of Defense?
List of U.S. Department of Defense agencies. Its main responsibilities are to control the Armed Forces of the United States. The Department was established in 1947 and is currently divided into three major Departments—the Department of the Army, Navy and Air Force —and has a military staff of 1,418,542 (553,044 US Army; 329,304 US Navy;
What kind of jobs does the Department of Defense have?
Civilian employees work for the DoD in a wide range of fields. The DoD conducts research in all STEM fields including all branches of Engineers, Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Mathematics. In addition to sciences, the DoD has extensive support staff, administrative, financial, legal and hourly wage blue-collar jobs.
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What is unified command plan?
The Unified Command Plan is a classified executive branch document prepared by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staf that assigns missions; planning, training and operational responsibilities; and geographic areas of responsibility to combatant commands. Functional cocoms operate worldwide across geographic boundaries ...
Is military service a tradition?
Military service has a long tradition in the United States. You can find the websites associated with the individual service branches and their social media apps below.
Who exercise authority over the military?
The Secretaries of the Military Departments exercise authority through their respective Service Chiefs (i.e., Chief of Staff of the Army, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Chief of Naval Operations, and Chief of Staff of the Air Force) over forces not assigned to a Unified Combatant Command.
Who controls the Coast Guard?
In wartime, the Department has authority over the Coast Guard, which is under the control of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in peacetime. Prior to the creation of DHS, the Coast Guard was under the control of the Department of Transportation, and earlier under the Department of the Treasury.
What is the chain of command of the military?
The President and the Secretary of Defense exercise authority and control of the Armed Forces through two distinct branches of the chain of command. One branch ( 10 U.S.C. § 162) runs from the President, through the Secretary of Defense, to the Unified Combatant Commanders for missions and forces assigned to their commands. The other branch, used for purposes other than operational direction of forces assigned to the Unified Combatant Commands, runs from the President through the Secretary of Defense to the Secretaries of the Military Departments, i.e., the Secretary of the Army ( 10 U.S.C. § 7013 ), the Secretary of the Navy ( 10 U.S.C. § 8013 ), and the Secretary of the Air Force ( 10 U.S.C. § 9013 ). The Military Departments, organized separately within the Department, operate under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of that Military Department. The Secretaries of the Military Departments exercise authority through their respective Service Chiefs (i.e., Chief of Staff of the Army, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Chief of Naval Operations, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Chief of Space Operations) over forces not assigned to a Unified Combatant Command. Except as otherwise prescribed by law, the Service Chiefs perform their duties under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretaries of their respective Military Departments, to whom they are directly responsible.
What is the President's command?
Article II Section 2 of the Constitution designates the President as "Commander in Chief" of the Army, Navy and state militias. The President exercises this supreme command authority through the civilian Secretary of Defense, who by federal law is the head of the department, has authority direction, and control over the Department of Defense, and is the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to the Department of Defense. The Secretary's principal deputy is the equally civilian Deputy Secretary of Defense who is delegated full powers to act for the Secretary of Defense. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is the Secretary and Deputy Secretary's civilian staff, which includes several Under Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries of Defense with functional oversight responsibilities. The Secretaries of the Military Departments (i.e. Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and Secretary of the Air Force) are subordinate to the Secretary of Defense. They have the authority under Title 10 of the United States Code to conduct all the affairs of their respective departments ( Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, and Department of the Air Force) within which the military services are organized. Although subordinate to the Secretary of Defense, they are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the President of the United States. As such, they cannot be removed from office by the Secretary of Defense, but can only be removed unilaterally by the President, or through impeachment by the Congress.
What is the Pentagon?
The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has a complex organizational structure. It includes the Army, Navy, the Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, the Unified combatant commands, U.S. elements of multinational commands (such as NATO and NORAD ), ...
What were the challenges to civilian control?
Also, on April 5, 1950, Representative Joseph William Martin, Jr., the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, released copies of a letter from MacArthur critical of President Harry S. Truman 's limited-war strategy to the press and read it aloud on the floor of the house. President Truman relieved MacArthur of command, and MacArthur then explored political options against Truman. The Revolt of the Admirals is another example in the same era of a challenge to civilian control.
Where is the Pentagon located?
The Pentagon Reservation in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., is the Department's headquarters. The Department is protected by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, which ensures law enforcement and security for the Pentagon and various other jurisdictions throughout the National Capital Region (NCR) .
What is the Department of Defense?
The Department of Defense is America's largest government agency. With our military tracing its roots back to pre-Revolutionary times, the department has grown and evolved with our nation. Our mission is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security.
What do civilian defense decision makers do?
Top civilian defense decision-makers work with the secretary to develop policy, operational and fiscal plans, manage resources and evaluate programs.
What are the armed forces of the United States?
The Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard are the armed forces of the United States. The Army National Guard and the Air National Guard are reserve components of their services and operate in part under state authority.
What is the Pentagon?
The Pentagon, with its iconic design, is the headquarters of the Department of Defense. Find out more about DOD’s mission and organization.
What is the Department of Defense?
The Department of Defense (DoD) is concerned directly with the activities and the United States Armed Forces. The DoD provides the military personnel, arms, and civilian support staff needed defend the nation.
How many departments are there in the federal government?
The Federal Government is broken down into fifteen departments, each of which consists of a number of sub-departments and organizational groups tasked with accomplishing the Department's overall goals. The Department of Defense (DoD) is concerned directly with the activities and the United States Armed Forces.
What was the War Department?
The War Department, created on September 29, 1789, was the forerunner to the Department of Defense. The War Department brought the Army, Navy and Marines under a single roof but still left the branches of military largely autonomous. This system of managing the military remained in effect until after World War II.
Where is the DoD based?
The Department of Defense is based in Arlington, Virginia in the Pentagon. The DoD also employs military and civilian personnel at over 400 military bases across the United States and around the world.
When was the National Military Establishment created?
Initially named "National Military Establishment" 1947-49. Created as a subsuming—from executive to sub-executive status—of the Departments of The Navy and War (which split into the Departments of the Army and Air Force). Back to List of Departments.
Why did Harry Truman call for the unification of the military?
After the war, President Harry Truman called for congress to unify the military branches in order to improve efficiency and prevent further conflicts. In 1947, Congress separated the military branches into the Department of the Army, Department of the Navy and Department of the Air Force and placed all three under the National Military Establishment (NME). Two years later, in 1949, the NME would be renamed to the Department of Defense (DoD).
Dod Agencies, Field Activities, and Others
Unified Commands
- The United States has 9 Combatant Commands. 1. U.S. Africa Command(USAFRICOM) 2. U.S. Central Command(USCENTCOM) 3. U.S. European Command(USEUCOM) 4. U.S. Northern Command(USNORTHCOM) 5. U.S. Pacific Command(USPACOM) 6. U.S. Special Operations Command(USSOCOM) 7. U.S. Southern Command(USSOUTHCOM) 8. U.S. Strategic Comma…
Army
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Regional Headquarters
- Army Digitization Office(ADO)
- Army Medical Department(AMEDD)
Navy
- Navy
1. Office of Naval Research(ONR) 2. Information Network Project Office(INPO) 3. Office of Naval Intelligence(ONI) 4. United States Naval Academy - Marine Corps
1. Marine Expeditionary Units 2. Commandant of the Marine Corps 3. Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps 4. Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps 5. Headquarters, United States Marine Corps
Air Force
See Also
References
- Most information on this list was taken from Government Information. Some pieces were taken from USA.gov.