Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a panel comprising the highest-ranking members of each major branch of the armed services in any particular country. The following information refers to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Armed Forces, but similar arrangements are common in other nations.

Joint Chiefs of Staff: Roles and Responsibilities

After the 1986 reorganization of the military undertaken by the Goldwater-Nichols Act, the Joint Chiefs of Staff do not have operational command of U.S. military forces. Responsibility for conducting military operations goes from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the heads of the Unified Combatant Commands and thus bypasses the Joint Chiefs of Staff completely.

Today, their primary responsibility is to ensure the readiness of their respective military services. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also act in an advisory military capacity for the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. In addition, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff acts as the chief military advisor to the President and the Secretary of Defense. In this strictly advisory role, the Joint Chiefs constitute the second-highest deliberatory body for military policy, after the National Security Council, which includes the President and other officials besides the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

Current Joint Chiefs of Staff

Name	Position	Branch
General Peter Pace	Chairman	United States Marine Corps
Admiral Edmund Giambastiani	Vice Chairman	United States Navy
General Peter J. Schoomaker	Chief of Staff of the United States Army	United States Army
Admiral Michael G. Mullen	Chief of Naval Operations	United States Navy
General Michael W. Hagee	Commandant of the Marine Corps	United States Marine Corps
General T. Michael Moseley	Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force	United States Air Force

Note:

General Pace is the first United States Marine to achieve the Chairmanship. On his nomination, Pace said, "This is an incredible moment for me. It is both exhilarating and humbling. It's exhilarating because I have the opportunity, if confirmed by the Senate, to continue to serve this great nation. It's humbling because I know the challenges ahead are formidable."

Chronology of Chairmen

	Name	Term began	Term ended
1.	General of the Army Omar N. Bradley, USA	August 16, 1949	August 15, 1953
2.	Admiral Arthur W. Radford, USN	August 15, 1953	August 15, 1957
3.	General Nathan F. Twining, USAF	August 15, 1957	September 30, 1960
4.	General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, USA	October 1, 1960	September 30, 1962
5.	General Maxwell D. Taylor, USA	October 1, 1962	July 1, 1964
6.	General Earle G. Wheeler, USA	July 3, 1964	July 2, 1970
7.	Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, USN	July 2, 1970	July 1, 1974
8.	General George S. Brown, USAF	July 1, 1974	June 20, 1978
9.	General David C. Jones, USAF	June 21, 1978	June 18, 1982
10.	General John W. Vessey, Jr., USA	June 18, 1982	September 30, 1985
11.	Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr., USN	October 1, 1985	September 30, 1989
12.	General Colin L. Powell, USA	October 1, 1989	September 30, 1993
13.	Admiral David E. Jeremiah, USN (acting)	October 1, 1993	October 24, 1993
14.	General John M. Shalikashvili, USA	October 25, 1993	September 30, 1997
15.	General Hugh Shelton, USA	October 1, 1997	September 30, 2001
16.	General Richard B. Myers, USAF	October 1, 2001	September 30, 2005
17.	General Peter Pace, USMC	October 1, 2005

Note:

On July 20, 1942, Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy became the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. He was not technically the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That post was established and first held by General of the Army Omar Bradley in 1949.