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.

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff → reportsTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
National Defense Strategy of the United States → responsibleOfficial → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Dick Cheney → roleInGulfWar → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: U.S. Secretary of Defense
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
SecDef → standsFor → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
National Security Council of the United States → statutoryMember → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense of the United States
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Armed Forces Security Agency → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Department of the Air Force → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
INDOPACOM → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
National Guard Bureau → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of the Army → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Secretary of the Army → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Senior Officer of the United States Army → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
U.S. Space Command → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: U.S. Secretary of Defense
U.S. Transportation Command → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
USEUCOM → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense of the United States
United States Cyber Command → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
United States Department of the Army → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
DA → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
subject surface form: United States Department of the Army
United States European Command → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
United States Indo-Pacific Command → subordinateTo → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Unified Command Plan → updatedBy → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
this entity surface form: Secretary of Defense
Mr. Secretary → usedFor → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
Madam Secretary → usedForOffice → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ
United States National Security Advisor → worksWith → United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ