United States Secretary of Defense facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of Defense |
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United States Department of Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense |
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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
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Term length | No fixed term |
Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 113 |
Precursor | Secretary of War Secretary of the Navy |
Formation | September 17, 1947 |
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.
Contents
How the Secretary of Defense Started
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.

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
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) | ||
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1 | ![]() |
James Forrestal | September 17, 1947 | March 28, 1949 | 1 year, 192 days | Democratic | New York | Harry S. Truman (1945–1953) |
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2 | ![]() |
Louis A. Johnson | March 28, 1949 | September 19, 1950 | 1 year, 175 days | Democratic | West Virginia | |||
3 | George C. Marshall | September 21, 1950 | September 12, 1951 | 356 days | Independent | Pennsylvania | ||||
4 | ![]() |
Robert A. Lovett | September 17, 1951 | January 20, 1953 | 1 year, 125 days | Republican | New York | |||
5 | ![]() |
Charles Erwin Wilson | January 28, 1953 | October 8, 1957 | 4 years, 253 days | Republican | Michigan | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
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6 | ![]() |
Neil H. McElroy | October 9, 1957 | December 1, 1959 | 2 years, 53 days | Republican | Ohio | |||
7 | ![]() |
Thomas S. Gates Jr. | December 2, 1959 | January 20, 1961 | 1 year, 49 days | Republican | Pennsylvania | |||
8 | ![]() |
Robert McNamara | January 21, 1961 | February 29, 1968 | 7 years, 39 days | Republican | Michigan | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
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9 | ![]() |
Clark Clifford | March 1, 1968 | January 20, 1969 | 325 days | Democratic | Maryland | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
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10 | Melvin Laird | January 22, 1969 | January 29, 1973 | 4 years, 7 days | Republican | Wisconsin | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
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11 | ![]() |
Elliot Richardson | January 30, 1973 | May 24, 1973 | 114 days | Republican | Massachusetts | |||
– | ![]() |
Bill Clements Acting |
May 24, 1973 | July 2, 1973 | 39 days | Republican | Texas | |||
12 | ![]() |
James R. Schlesinger | July 2, 1973 | November 19, 1975 | 2 years, 140 days | Republican | Virginia | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) Gerald Ford (1974–1977) |
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13 | ![]() |
Donald Rumsfeld | November 20, 1975 | January 20, 1977 | 1 year, 61 days | Republican | Illinois | Gerald Ford (1974–1977) |
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14 | ![]() |
Harold Brown | January 20, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | 4 years, 0 days | Democratic | California | Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) |
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15 | ![]() |
Caspar Weinberger | January 21, 1981 | November 23, 1987 | 6 years, 306 days | Republican | California | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
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16 | Frank Carlucci | November 23, 1987 | January 20, 1989 | 1 year, 58 days | Republican | Virginia | ||||
– | William Howard Taft IV Acting |
January 20, 1989 | March 21, 1989 | 60 days | Republican | Ohio | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
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17 | ![]() |
Dick Cheney | March 21, 1989 | January 20, 1993 | 3 years, 305 days | Republican | Wyoming | |||
18 | ![]() |
Les Aspin | January 20, 1993 | February 3, 1994 | 1 year, 14 days | Democratic | Wisconsin | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
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19 | ![]() |
William Perry | February 3, 1994 | January 24, 1997 | 2 years, 356 days | Democratic | Pennsylvania | |||
20 | ![]() |
William Cohen | January 24, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | 3 years, 362 days | Republican | Maine | |||
21 | ![]() |
Donald Rumsfeld | January 20, 2001 | December 18, 2006 | 5 years, 332 days (7 years, 29 days total) |
Republican | Illinois | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
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22 | ![]() |
Robert Gates | December 18, 2006 | June 30, 2011 | 4 years, 194 days | Republican | Texas | George W. Bush (2001–2009) Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
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23 | ![]() |
Leon Panetta | July 1, 2011 | February 26, 2013 | 1 year, 240 days | Democratic | California | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
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24 | ![]() |
Chuck Hagel | February 27, 2013 | February 17, 2015 | 1 year, 355 days | Republican | Nebraska | |||
25 | ![]() |
Ash Carter | February 17, 2015 | January 20, 2017 | 1 year, 338 days | Democratic | Massachusetts | |||
26 | ![]() |
Jim Mattis | January 20, 2017 | January 1, 2019 | 1 year, 345 days | Independent | Washington | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
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– | ![]() |
Patrick M. Shanahan Acting |
January 1, 2019 | June 23, 2019 | 173 days | Independent | Washington | |||
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Mark Esper Acting |
June 24, 2019 | July 15, 2019 | 21 days | Republican | Virginia | |||
– | ![]() |
Richard V. Spencer Acting |
July 15, 2019 | July 23, 2019 | 8 days | Republican | Wyoming | |||
27 | ![]() |
Mark Esper | July 23, 2019 | November 9, 2020 | 1 year, 109 days | Republican | Virginia | |||
– | ![]() |
Christopher C. Miller Acting |
November 9, 2020 | January 20, 2021 | 72 days | Republican | Iowa | |||
– | ![]() |
David Norquist Acting |
January 20, 2021 | January 22, 2021 | 2 days | Republican | Massachusetts | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
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28 | ![]() |
Lloyd Austin | January 22, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | 3 years, 364 days | Independent | Georgia | |||
– | ![]() |
Robert G. Salesses Acting |
January 20, 2025 | January 25, 2025 | 5 days | Independent | Donald Trump (2025–present) |
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29 | ![]() |
Pete Hegseth | January 25, 2025 | Incumbent | 152 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
- Base Realignment and Closure Commission
- Boeing E-4
- Challenge coin
- Combat Exclusion Policy
- Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States
- Continuity of Operations Plan
- CONPLAN 8022-02
- Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee
- Defense Support of Civil authorities
- Department of Defense Directive 2310
- Designated survivor
- Emergency Action Message
- Global Command and Control System
- Gold Codes
- Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
- Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System
- Key West Agreement
- McCarran Internal Security Act
- Military Commissions Act of 2006
- Military operation plan
- National Command Authority (United States)
- National Industrial Security Program
- National Security Strategy (United States)
- Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
- Packard Commission
- Permissive Action Link
- Presidential Successor Support System
- Quadrennial Defense Review
- Rules of engagement
- Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award
- Single Integrated Operational Plan
- State secrets privilege
- Stop-loss policy
- Two-man rule
- Unconventional warfare (United States Department of Defense doctrine)
- United States Foreign Military Financing
- US Commission on National Security/21st Century