United States Secretary of Defense

United States Secretary of Defense
Seal of the Department[1]
Flag of the Secretary[2]
Incumbent Lloyd Austin since January 22, 2021
United States Department of Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense
Style	Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Status	Leader and chief executive
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 50 U.S.C. § 401
Precursor	Secretary of War Secretary of the Navy
Formation	September 17, 1947 (1947-09-17)
First holder	James Forrestal
Succession	Sixth[3]
Deputy	Deputy Secretary of Defense
Salary	Executive Schedule, level I[4]
Website	www.defense.gov

The position of Secretary of Defense in the United States was established in 1947 with the National Security Act, which aimed to unify and coordinate the various branches of the military under a single executive authority. The first person to hold this title was James V. Forestall. Over the decades, the role has evolved significantly, especially during major conflicts such as the Korean War^[5], the Vietnam War, ^[6]and the wars in Iraq^[7] and Afghanistan^[8]. The Secretary of Defense serves as the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for overseeing the Department of Defense^[9], making decisions on military strategy, personnel, and budgetary issues. This role has increasingly emphasized not only military preparedness and operations but also the integration of defense with international relations and national security priorities.

1. ↑ Trask & Goldberg: p. 177.
2. ↑ "Positional Colors for the Department of Defense". www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
3. ↑ "3 U.S. Code § 19 – Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act".
4. ↑ 5 U.S.C. § 5312
5. ↑ "Korean War", Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2024-09-22, retrieved 2024-10-30
6. ↑ "Vietnam War", Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2024-10-27, retrieved 2024-10-30
7. ↑ "War in Iraq (2013–2017)", Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2024-09-19, retrieved 2024-10-30
8. ↑ "War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)", Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2024-09-14, retrieved 2024-10-30
9. ↑ "United States Department of Defense", Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2024-03-30, retrieved 2024-10-30