United States Secretary of Defense |
The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense concerned with the armed services
and military matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet.
This position was created in 1947, when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were merged into the new National Military
Establishment. In the same massive reorganization, the Secretary of the Navy was changed to a non-Cabinet position placed under the Secretary
of Defense and the Secretary of War was
replaced by the Secretary of the
Army, also a non-Cabinet position under the Secretary of Defense. In 1949, the National Military Establishment was renamed
the Department of Defense, which remains the current name of the department.
Within the United States Armed Forces, the
Secretary of Defense is often referred to as SECDEF.
A Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense specialises in a particular set of defense issues; e.g., the Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Civilian Personnel Policy) -- DASD(CPP), the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (C3I
Acquisition) DASD(C3IA), and so on.
Secretaries of Defense
| Name |
Term of Office |
President(s) served under |
| James V. Forrestal |
September 17, 1947 - March 28, 1949 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Louis A. Johnson |
March 28, 1949 - September 19, 1950 |
Harry S. Truman |
| George C. Marshall |
September 21, 1950 - September 12, 1951 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Robert A. Lovett |
September 17, 1951 - January 20, 1953 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Charles E. Wilson |
January 28, 1953 - October 8, 1957 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Neil H. McElroy |
October 9, 1957 - December 1, 1959 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Thomas S. Gates |
December 2, 1959 - January 20, 1961 |
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Robert McNamara |
January 21, 1961 - February 29, 1968 |
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon
Johnson |
| Clark Clifford |
March 1, 1968- January 20, 1969 |
Lyndon Johnson |
| Melvin Laird |
January 22, 1969 - January 29, 1973 |
Richard Nixon |
| Elliot L. Richardson |
January 30, 1973 - May 24, 1973 |
Richard Nixon |
| James R. Schlesinger |
July 2, 1973 - November 19, 1975 |
Richard Nixon, Gerald
Ford |
| Donald H. Rumsfeld (1st time) |
November 20, 1975 - January 20, 1977 |
Gerald Ford |
| Harold Brown |
January 21, 1977 - January 20, 1981 |
Jimmy Carter |
| Caspar W. Weinberger |
January 21, 1981 - November 23, 1987 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Frank C. Carlucci |
November 23, 1987 - January 20, 1989 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Richard B. Cheney |
March 21, 1989 - January 20, 1993 |
George H. W. Bush |
| Les Aspin |
January 21, 1993 - February 3, 1994 |
Bill Clinton |
| William J. Perry |
February 3, 1994 - January 23, 1997 |
Bill Clinton |
| William S. Cohen |
January 24, 1997 - January 20, 2001 |
Bill Clinton |
| Donald H. Rumsfeld (2nd time) |
January 20, 2001 - present |
George W. Bush |
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