United States Secretary of Defense

E379
United States federal executive position cabinet-level position defense minister role

The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the Department of Defense and the principal defense policy advisor to the President, overseeing the nation’s armed forces and military strategy.

Observed surface forms (4)

Surface form Occurrences
Secretary of Defense 65
U.S. Secretary of Defense 6
Secretary of Defense of the United States 4
United States Secretary of War 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal executive position ⓘ
cabinet-level position ⓘ
defense minister role ⓘ
advises President of the United States ⓘ
appointedBy President of the United States ⓘ
country United States of America ⓘ
createdOn 1947-09-18 ⓘ
department Department of Defense ⓘ
surface form: United States Department of Defense
eligibleFor reappointment without term limit ⓘ
firstHolder James V. Forrestal ⓘ
hasAbbreviation SecDef ⓘ
hasRole principal defense policy advisor to the President of the United States ⓘ
headOf Department of Defense ⓘ
surface form: United States Department of Defense
isInLineOfSuccessionFor President of the United States ⓘ
legalBasis Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958 ⓘ
National Security Act of 1947 ⓘ
locatedIn Arlington, Virginia ⓘ
surface form: Arlington County, Virginia
memberOf National Security Council of the United States ⓘ
surface form: United States National Security Council
mustBe civilian at time of appointment ⓘ
nominatedBy President of the United States ⓘ
oversees Joint Chiefs of Staff ⓘ
Office of the Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Unified Combatant Commands ⓘ
United States Air Force ⓘ
United States Armed Forces ⓘ
United States Army ⓘ
United States Marine Corps ⓘ
United States Navy ⓘ
United States Space Force ⓘ
participatesIn meetings of the National Security Council ⓘ
partOf Cabinet of the United States ⓘ
positionInPresidentialLineOfSuccession seventh ⓘ
replaced United States Secretary of Defense self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: United States Secretary of War

United States Secretary of the Navy as cabinet-level military head ⓘ
reportsTo President of the United States ⓘ
requires advice and consent of the United States Senate ⓘ
responsibleFor execution of approved defense policy ⓘ
formulation of general defense policy ⓘ
military strategy of the United States ⓘ
overall direction of the United States military ⓘ
seat Pentagon ⓘ
surface form: The Pentagon
style Mr. Secretary ⓘ
subjectTo civilian control of the military principle ⓘ
supervises Secretary of the Air Force ⓘ
Secretary of the Army ⓘ
Secretary of the Navy ⓘ
termLength no fixed term ⓘ
website https://www.defense.gov ⓘ

Referenced by (129)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Harold Brown → positionHeld → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
James R. Schlesinger → positionHeld → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
James V. Forrestal → positionHeld → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Forrestal → positionHeld → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
subject surface form: James V. Forrestal
Robert M. Gates → positionHeld → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Robert McNamara → positionHeld → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Thomas S. Gates Jr. → positionHeld → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
William Cohen → positionHeld → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Department of Defense → positionHeldBy → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
subject surface form: United States Department of Defense
Pentagon Papers → positionHeldByAuthor → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff → principalMilitaryAdvisorTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Flag of the United States Department of Defense → relatedTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Mr. Secretary → relatesToTitle → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense → replaced → United States Secretary of Defense self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: United States Secretary of War
Secretary of War → replacedBy → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Coalition Provisional Authority → reportedTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: U.S. Secretary of Defense
Army Secretariat → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Chief of Naval Operations → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Chief of Space Operations → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Chief of Staff of the Air Force → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
CSAF → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
subject surface form: Chief of Staff of the Air Force
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Chief of Staff of the Army → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Chief of the National Guard Bureau → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Commander, United Nations Command → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Commander, United States European Command → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
DDR&E → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Defense Acquisition Board (through representation) → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
subject surface form: Defense Acquisition Board
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Department of the Navy → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
DoD Field Activities → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Headquarters United States Air Force → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Joint Chiefs of Staff → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
National Reconnaissance Office → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
NRO → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
subject surface form: National Reconnaissance Office
OSD(A&S) → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Secretary of the Air Force → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Secretary of the Army → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Secretary of the Navy → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
U.S. Africa Command → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
U.S. Northern Command → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
U.S. Strategic Command → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Unified Combatant Commands → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
United States Deputy Secretary of Defense → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
United States National Guard → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
U.S. Special Operations Command → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
subject surface form: United States Special Operations Command
SOCOM → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
subject surface form: United States Special Operations Command