United States Secretary of Defense facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of Defense
Flag of the secretary
Seal of the department
Incumbent Pete Hegseth since January 25, 2025
United States Department of Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense
Style	Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Abbreviation	SecDef
Member of	Cabinet National Security Council
Reports to	President of the United States
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 113
Precursor	Secretary of War Secretary of the Navy
Formation	September 17, 1947 (1947-09-17)
First holder	James Forrestal
Succession	Sixth
Deputy	Deputy Secretary of Defense
Salary	Executive Schedule, level I

The United States Secretary of Defense (often called SecDef) is the main leader of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). This department manages the U.S. Armed Forces. The Secretary of Defense is a very important member of the President's Cabinet.

This person is in charge of the military, second only to the president of the United States. The president is the commander-in-chief of the military. In many other countries, this job is called a "defense minister." The president chooses the Secretary of Defense. The Senate must agree with the president's choice. By law, the Secretary is also part of the National Security Council.

To make sure civilians control the military, U.S. law has a special rule. The Secretary of Defense cannot have been an active military officer in the past seven years. For generals and admirals, this time is ten years. However, Congress can make an exception to this rule. They have done this three times for George C. Marshall, James N. Mattis, and Lloyd J. Austin III.

The Secretary of Defense takes orders only from the president. They are in charge of all parts of the Department of Defense. This includes the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force. They also oversee the Coast Guard when it works with the Department of Defense. Only the Secretary of Defense (or the president or Congress) can move forces between military branches. Because of their power, some people call the Secretary the "deputy commander-in-chief."

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gives military advice to the Secretary and the president. But the chairman is not directly in the chain of command. The Secretary of Defense is one of the four most important Cabinet members. The others are the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Attorney General.

The current Secretary of Defense is Pete Hegseth.

How the Secretary of Defense Started

Seal of the National Military Establishment (1947–1949)

The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps were created in 1775. This happened during the American Revolution. The War Department was set up in 1789. It was led by the Secretary of War. This department was in charge of both the Army and Navy. Later, in 1798, a separate Department of the Navy was created.

After World War II, people wanted to manage the military better. The Army wanted more central control. The Navy preferred to keep things separate. The National Security Act of 1947 was a compromise. It changed the name of the War Department to the Department of the Army. It also added the Army and Navy departments to a new group called the National Military Establishment (NME). The Act also made the United States Air Force its own branch, separate from the Army.

Donald Rumsfeld being sworn in as Secretary of Defense in 1975.

The Act created a new job title: Secretary of Defense. At first, each military branch still had its own leader in the Cabinet. The first Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal, found it hard to lead all the branches. He had limited power. So, in 1949, the National Security Act was changed. This change made the defense structure more unified. It helped reduce competition between the military branches. The leaders of the Army, Navy, and Air Force then reported directly to the Secretary of Defense. The NME was also renamed the Department of Defense. At this time, the job of Deputy Secretary of Defense was also created. This is the second-in-command role.

Since 1949, the Department of Defense has become more centralized. This means more power has been given to civilian leaders and defense organizations. The last big change to the Secretary's role was in 1986. This change made it very important for officers to have experience working with different military branches.

As the Secretary of Defense is a civilian job, the person must have been retired from military service for at least seven years. Congress can make an exception. This has happened only three times since 1947. These exceptions were for Army General George Marshall in 1950, Marine Corps General Jim Mattis in 2017, and retired Army General Lloyd Austin in 2021.

What the Secretary of Defense Does

Department of Defense organizational chart (December 2013)

The Secretary of Defense is chosen by the president. The Senate must agree to the choice. By law, the Secretary is the head of the Department of Defense. They are the president's main helper for all defense matters. They have power and control over the entire Department of Defense. The U.S. Constitution gives military power to Congress and the president. The Secretary's power comes from them. Since the president cannot handle every detail, the Secretary and their team manage military affairs.

As the head of the DoD, all officials, employees, and service members report to the Secretary. Some of these high-ranking officials include the leaders of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. It also includes the top military leaders like the Army chief of staff and the Marine Corps commandant. All these important jobs need Senate approval.

The Department of Defense includes many parts. These are the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Combatant Commands. It also includes the military departments (Army, Navy, Air Force) and other defense agencies.

The Secretary's Office

The Secretary has a main civilian staff called the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). This office includes the Deputy Secretary of Defense. It also has six under secretaries who handle different areas like money, intelligence, and policy. There are also other assistants and their teams.

The main military staff organization is called the Joint Staff. It works under the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Military Awards

The Secretary of Defense approves special awards for military personnel. These awards are for service in joint duty assignments. Examples include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Defense Superior Service Medal. The Joint Meritorious Unit Award is given to groups that work together across different military branches.

The highest military award is the Medal of Honor. Recommendations for this medal go through the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary must approve them before they go to the president. The president is the final approval authority for the Medal of Honor.

Working with Congress

The Secretary of Defense is the main person who talks to Congress about the Department of Defense. The most important committees are the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. These committees oversee the entire department. There are also committees that oversee intelligence programs.

National Security Council

The Secretary of Defense is a member of the National Security Council. This group helps the president make important decisions about national security. The Secretary, along with the vice president and Secretary of State, attends regular meetings. They prepare and coordinate issues before the president makes final decisions.

Secretary's Salary

The Secretary of Defense earns a salary of US$246,400 per year, as of October 2024. This is a top-level position in the government's pay scale.

List of Secretaries of Defense

The person who served the longest as Secretary of Defense is Robert McNamara. He served for more than seven years. Donald Rumsfeld served almost as long, combining his two times in office.

The shortest-serving Secretary of Defense was Elliot Richardson. He served for 114 days. He then became the U.S. attorney general during the Watergate Scandal.

For leaders of the military departments before 1947, you can look at the lists of Secretaries of the Navy and Secretaries of War.

Parties

      Democratic       Republican       Independent / Unknown

Status

     Denotes an Acting Secretary of Defense

No.	Image	Name	Start	End	Duration	Party		Home State	President(s)
1		Forrestal, JamesJames Forrestal	September 17, 1947	March 28, 1949	1 year, 192 days		Democratic	New York		Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
2		Johnson, Louis A.Louis A. Johnson	March 28, 1949	September 19, 1950	1 year, 175 days		Democratic	West Virginia
3		Marshall, George C.George C. Marshall	September 21, 1950	September 12, 1951	356 days		Independent	Pennsylvania
4		Lovett, Robert A.Robert A. Lovett	September 17, 1951	January 20, 1953	1 year, 125 days		Republican	New York
5		Wilson, Charles ErwinCharles Erwin Wilson	January 28, 1953	October 8, 1957	4 years, 253 days		Republican	Michigan		Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
6		McElroy, Neil H.Neil H. McElroy	October 9, 1957	December 1, 1959	2 years, 53 days		Republican	Ohio
7		Gates Jr., Thomas S.Thomas S. Gates Jr.	December 2, 1959	January 20, 1961	1 year, 49 days		Republican	Pennsylvania
8		McNamara, RobertRobert McNamara	January 21, 1961	February 29, 1968	7 years, 39 days		Republican	Michigan		Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
9		Clifford, ClarkClark Clifford	March 1, 1968	January 20, 1969	325 days		Democratic	Maryland		Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
10		Laird, MelvinMelvin Laird	January 22, 1969	January 29, 1973	4 years, 7 days		Republican	Wisconsin		Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
11		Richardson, ElliotElliot Richardson	January 30, 1973	May 24, 1973	114 days		Republican	Massachusetts
–		Clements, BillBill Clements Acting	May 24, 1973	July 2, 1973	39 days		Republican	Texas
12		Schlesinger, James R.James R. Schlesinger	July 2, 1973	November 19, 1975	2 years, 140 days		Republican	Virginia		Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974) Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
13		Rumsfeld, DonaldDonald Rumsfeld	November 20, 1975	January 20, 1977	1 year, 61 days		Republican	Illinois		Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
14		Brown, HaroldHarold Brown	January 20, 1977	January 20, 1981	4 years, 0 days		Democratic	California		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
15		Weinberger, CasparCaspar Weinberger	January 21, 1981	November 23, 1987	6 years, 306 days		Republican	California		Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
16		Carlucci, FrankFrank Carlucci	November 23, 1987	January 20, 1989	1 year, 58 days		Republican	Virginia
–		Taft IV, William HowardWilliam Howard Taft IV Acting	January 20, 1989	March 21, 1989	60 days		Republican	Ohio		Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
17		Cheney, DickDick Cheney	March 21, 1989	January 20, 1993	3 years, 305 days		Republican	Wyoming
18		Aspin, LesLes Aspin	January 20, 1993	February 3, 1994	1 year, 14 days		Democratic	Wisconsin		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
19		Perry, WilliamWilliam Perry	February 3, 1994	January 24, 1997	2 years, 356 days		Democratic	Pennsylvania
20		Cohen, WilliamWilliam Cohen	January 24, 1997	January 20, 2001	3 years, 362 days		Republican	Maine
21		Rumsfeld, DonaldDonald Rumsfeld	January 20, 2001	December 18, 2006	5 years, 332 days (7 years, 29 days total)		Republican	Illinois		Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
22		Gates, RobertRobert Gates	December 18, 2006	June 30, 2011	4 years, 194 days		Republican	Texas		Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009) Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
23		Panetta, LeonLeon Panetta	July 1, 2011	February 26, 2013	1 year, 240 days		Democratic	California		Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
24		Hagel, ChuckChuck Hagel	February 27, 2013	February 17, 2015	1 year, 355 days		Republican	Nebraska
25		Carter, AshAsh Carter	February 17, 2015	January 20, 2017	1 year, 338 days		Democratic	Massachusetts
26		Mattis, JimJim Mattis	January 20, 2017	January 1, 2019	1 year, 345 days		Independent	Washington		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
–		Shanahan, Patrick M.Patrick M. Shanahan Acting	January 1, 2019	June 23, 2019	173 days		Independent	Washington
–		Esper, MarkMark Esper Acting	June 24, 2019	July 15, 2019	21 days		Republican	Virginia
–		Spencer, Richard V.Richard V. Spencer Acting	July 15, 2019	July 23, 2019	8 days		Republican	Wyoming
27		Esper, MarkMark Esper	July 23, 2019	November 9, 2020	1 year, 109 days		Republican	Virginia
–		Miller, Christopher C.Christopher C. Miller Acting	November 9, 2020	January 20, 2021	72 days		Republican	Iowa
–		Norquist, DavidDavid Norquist Acting	January 20, 2021	January 22, 2021	2 days		Republican	Massachusetts		Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
28		Austin, LloydLloyd Austin	January 22, 2021	January 20, 2025	3 years, 364 days		Independent	Georgia
–		Salesses, Robert G.Robert G. Salesses Acting	January 20, 2025	January 25, 2025	5 days		Independent			Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)
29		Hegseth, PetePete Hegseth	January 25, 2025	Incumbent	162 days		Republican	Tennessee

Who Takes Over if the President or Secretary Can't Serve?

Presidential Succession

The Secretary of Defense is sixth in line to become president. This means if the president and five other people ahead of them cannot serve, the Secretary of Defense would become president. They come after the Secretary of the Treasury and before the Attorney General.

Secretary Succession

If the Secretary of Defense cannot do their job, other officials are ready to step in. There is a specific order of who takes over. The Deputy Secretary of Defense is usually the first person to take over if the Secretary is unable to serve.

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See also

In Spanish: Secretario de Defensa de los Estados Unidos para niños